Last Dance
by WingsOfMorphius
Summary: Shou gets invited to his middle school reunion, and all of his old classmates are dying to see him again. But unfortunately for them, he won’t come unless Kyouko’s gonna be there.
1. The Invitation

**WoM-** _My first dive into the world of Skip Beat fanfiction! ^^ It was bound to happen sooner or later... in fact, I'm surprised it tookk this long. ^^; At any rate, Nakamura-san owns all these lovely characters, so all credit goes to her and NOT the poor, lowly college student responsible for this travesty._

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**The Invitation**

Anticipation. Anxiousness. Excitement. Self-Consciousness. Watanabi Fumiko struggled to maintain her composure against these warring emotions as she swallowed against the lump in her throat, clutching the all-important envelope in her trembling, sweating hands while she glanced nervously at the clock on the wall opposite of her seat every few seconds. Had she really only been sitting there for ten minutes? It felt like she had been waiting for hours now.

_Then again, I guess it's only natural for time to slow down when you're about to see someone you like again after such a long time._ Fumiko thought to herself with a shy smile, a light blush dusting her freckled cheeks. She still couldn't believe that she was the lucky girl who got to give Fuwa-san his invitation. Surely the gods were on her side when she drew that lucky 'hit' lot from the box. Perhaps this was even meant as a sign that her love was reciprocated! Fumiko giggled girlishly to herself as she was bombarded by a daydream of her and Fuwa-san in a lover's embrace as he whispered soft words of love and adoration to her. How romantic!

"Miss…?" Startled out of her fantasy, Fumiko looked up at the receptionist, who was watching her impatiently with the mouthpiece of her phone covered up with a hand. "Fuwa-sama's taking a break with his recording now, so they're letting you in. Please go through the doors on your right and make your way to Studio 25, and try not to disturb any on-going sessions on your way there."

"Yes ma'am!" Fumiko said, bowing to the receptionist as she gathered her things. "Thank you very much!" And with that, the brown haired girl hurriedly made her way down the hall as the lady instructed, excitement coursing through her veins. She was going to see Fuwa-san again, before anybody else! A part of her still couldn't believe how easy it was to get this meeting. All she had to do was tell the receptionist that she was a childhood friend and classmate of Fuwa-san's from Kyoto and they let her right in, no questions asked. She figured that getting to see the most famous male singer in Japan would be much harder then that…

_Maybe it's just another sign that the gods are on my side! _Fumiko thought giddily. She could already picture the joy on Fuwa-san's face as she walked through the door. Perhaps he would come to her and gather her in his arms, muttering all the while about how much he'd missed her and how, despite all those groupies who'd throw themselves at his feet, she was the only woman he could think about for the past five years, ever since they last saw each other at the graduation ceremony. Then Fumiko would confess her love, and after that…

A wide grin spread across Fumiko's face as she hastened her steps, shoving some poor intern out of the way as Studio 25 came into view. She was almost there, almost to her precious idol.

_Fuwa-san… Fuwa-san… Fuwa-san…_

"FUWA-SAN!" Fumiko burst as she threw open the doors, ignoring the studio workers who were now giving her odd looks and the surprised busty brunette sitting next to her idol on the loveseat couch. "Fuwa-san, I missed you _so_ much!"

"Eh?" Fuwa Shou said, his eyebrows knitting together as he frowned at the blushing girl in front of him. "Who're you?"

And, with those two words, Fumiko felt her world come crashing down around her. As the girl tearfully tried to cope with the crushing disappointment of Shou's cold greeting, the singer himself turned to scowl at the woman next to him, who seemed to be getting over her surprise at Fumiko's entrance.

"Oi Shouko, what gives? Who is this girl?"

"Sorry Shou, guess I made a mistake." Shouko said with an apologetic smile. "The receptionist told me that a girl claiming to be a childhood friend from Kyoto was here to see you, and I thought… well…" Shouko trailed off with a chuckle and a pointed look, prompting Shou to scowl darkly at her. Though Shouko didn't say who she thought the girl was, it didn't take much of a stretch of imagination to realize which of his 'childhood friends' his manager had mistaken this girl for, and the singer couldn't help but scoff at his manager's flawed logic.

"Do you really think she'd come and see me on a whim like that? Get real Shouko."

"Well, you never know." Shouko said sagely, a slight smile playing at her lips as she continued to tease the young idol. "Besides, I know it'd make you happy if she did decide to come see you, even if she didn't have a reason to be here."

Someone must've been playing around with the heat in the studios, Shou was sure of it. There was no other excuse for the traces of redness that suddenly graced his face.

"S-shut up! You're being annoying!" Shou snapped, turning away from the woman irritably as she giggled silently at his action. "Is the break over yet? I want to get back to recording already!"

"U-um… excuse me… Fuwa-san…?" Fumiko said timidly, her pride still hurting from being so harshly rejected by her idol and one true love. She flinched slightly when Shou turned his dark glare on her, instinctively drawing away from the singer.

"You're still here? Look, I don't have time to play nice right now, so take a hike before I call security." Fumiko's eyes widened in panic at that threat. She couldn't get kicked out! The other girls would kill her if she came back without confirming that Fuwa-san would definitely be coming to the reunion!

"W-wait! Fuwa-san! It's me! Watanabi Fumiko! We were in Class 3-A together in secondary school! I sat three seats away from you, remember?!" The blank look on Shou's face at this confession served as another blow to Fumiko's ego as she realized that he really didn't remember her at all. "A-at any rate, I came here to give you this!" Desperate, Fumiko thrust her hands forward, presenting her former classmate with the envelope she'd been holding the entire time. "This is an invitation to our secondary school reunion! Please accept this and join us at the Grand Kyoto Hotel on the 22nd!" As one, Shouko and Shou stared at the girl incredulously.

"Is that really all you came here for…?" Shouko asked politely, confusion clear on her face. "If it's just an invitation, couldn't you have mailed it to Shou?" Fumiko looked mortified at the suggestion.

"A-and risk it getting lost in the mail?! Absolutely not! There's no way we could take that kind of chance with something so important! B-besides, the other members of the reunion committee wanted me to make sure that Fuwa-san was coming before they began making the necessary preparations to make sure that he'd be as comfortable as possible! After all, this would be the first time Fuwa-san has been home since he left to become a star!"`

"You're joking, right?" Shou said, rolling his eyes before he began flipping through an entertainment magazine. He scowled as he landed on a two page spread featuring Tsuruga Ren, before grinning evilly and uncapping a felt tip pen that was lying innocently on the table next to him. "There's no way I could make a trip to Kyoto now, I'm way too busy."

"W-what?!" Fumiko squeaked, her eyes widening in horror as she could practically feel the anger of her fellow female committee members all the way back in Kyoto. If she returned without the guarantee that Fuwa-san would be coming, there was no doubt in the girl's mind that her former schoolmates would ruthlessly kill her. "B-but you have to come, Fuwa-san! Everyone's looking forward to seeing you again! Isn't there anything you miss about living in Kyoto? Anything at all?"

_Me? Miss Kyoto? Get real._ Shou thought scornfully as he examined his finished handiwork. The Tsuruga in the photo was now sporting a rather unflattering mustache, a black eye, several missing teeth and had the word 'Fool' written across his forehead. Satisfied with the makeover he'd given Japan's biggest star, Shou flipped through a few more pages of the magazine as he mulled over Fumiko's words. Did she really think there would be anything he wanted to see again back in Kyoto? He loved his life as a big star in Tokyo, and nothing could drag him back to his hometown.

He didn't have many fond memories of Kyoto anyways, and those that he did have were all centered on a certain girl-who-shall-not-be-named. It wasn't like _she_ would be waiting for him if he went to this stupid reunion, so what was the point? Flipping past an advertisement, Shou found himself staring at the photo of the girl he was trying so hard not to think about, looking beautiful in a baby blue sundress while she stood barefoot in a field of flowers, a pair of strappy white high heeled sandals abandoned off to the side. She was laughing at the camera as she fought valiantly to keep the wind from blowing her hat away, oblivious to the way her skirt was billowing around her to give the viewer a tantalizing peek of her long, toned legs.

Irritation swelled up inside of Shou as he glanced at several other pictures that came with the article that followed, including some of Kyouko in the arms of the handsome co-star of her latest movie (who looked a little too happy over clinging to the slim girl for Shou's tastes). A wave of loneliness passed through him as he realized that the Kyouko in these photos was happy and carefree, and obviously _not_ thinking of him as she cuddled up with some random pretty boy actor. Never mind that he fought day and night to keep his mind off of her…

_It's like our situations have reversed._ Shou thought in annoyance, ignoring the argument that Shouko and Fumiko were now having in the background as security was called in to remove the girl from the studio. _Instead of her being consumed with thoughts of me, I'm the one who can't get over her. Jeeze, back when we went to school together-_ Shou froze as a thought struck him, his eyes widening as a brilliant plan formed in his mind.

"W-wait! You can't do this to me!" Fumiko wailed as a security guard threw the tearful girl over his shoulder. "I have to make sure that Fuwa-san comes to the reunion, I _have_ to!" Shouko sighed as the girl was dragged away, rubbing her temples to combat a headache that was now forming. At times like these, she often wondered if managing Shou was more trouble then it was worth. Before she could continue this line of thought any further though, movement caught the corner of her eye as the singer stood up.

"Stop." All action froze at that one word from Shou, and Shouko watched curiously as he approached his former classmate and took the letter from her hand. _What on earth…?_

"The 22nd, right?" Shou said, twirling the invitation artistically between his fingers as he gave the girl his sexiest smirk, the one that made his fangirls melt on sight. "Alright, I'll be there."

"What?!" Shouko started, her eyes going wide. "Shou! Are you serious?!"

"Really?" Fumiko gasped, her eyes glittering with hope as the security guard hesitantly set her back down and backed out of the room to return to his post. "You're really coming, Fuwa-san? For real?"

"Sure." Shou replied casually with a grin. "On one condition."

"Anything!" Fumiko promised breathily as she beamed at the singer. "Anything you want, Fuwa-san, I swear we'll make sure you get it!"

"Mogami Kyoko." Once again, the entire room froze. A look of understanding dawned on the curvaceous manager's face as she realized just what Shou was up to, while Fumiko just stared at her idol in confusion.

"…What?" She said, not quite believing her ears.

"Mogami Kyoko. She went to school with us too, remember?" Of course Fumiko remembered. How could she forget that plain, dimwitted little witch who tried to steal Fuwa-san's attention away from everyone else? She'd taken great pleasure in getting back at the ugly, boring brat with the rest of her female classmates back when they went to school together. Kohana-chan had come up with most of the best ideas for making Mogami pay, but she was quite proud of herself for thinking of putting thumbtacks in Mogami's shoes that one time.

"What about her?" Fumiko asked cautiously, though a part of her felt that it was highly unfair that Fuwa-san remembered Mogami, but not her.

"If you can guarantee that she'll be there, then I'll come to the reunion." Shou promised with a smile. Fumiko blinked up at him uncertainly.

"B-but Fuwa-san, no one knows how to find Mogami-san." Not that they'd been looking that hard for her. When Mogami had disappeared at the same time as Fuwa-san, everyone had thought that she'd followed him to Tokyo. Some girls even cursed her luck and swore that if they ever saw her again, they'd skin her alive. But after five years had passed with no sign of Mogami with Fuwa-san as he became one of the greatest singers in Japan, everyone pretty much figured that she must've gone off on her own and the hatred for her died down to a quiet distain. Still, when the time came to send out invitations to the reunion, everyone had immediately written Mogami off as a lost cause and went on to concentrate on inviting others, like Fuwa-san.

"I could tell you where she is." Shou boasted, smirking at the brunette. "I can even make sure that you can get in to see her. Everything after that is gonna have to be up to you, though. Bringing my name into things will probably just get you thrown out."

"Eh?" Fumiko said, her eyebrows etching together in confusion. Why would Mogami throw her out if she mentioned that Fuwa-san had sent her? Did the two of them have a fight or something…? "I-I don't understand, Fuwa-san… I mean, all I'd have to do to see her is find her address and go to wherever she's staying, right?"

"Seeing Kyouko privately won't be that easy." Shou scoffed, passing the magazine he was holding to the girl in front of him. Confused, Fumiko accepted it, scanning over the article and advertisement for the movie _Taste of a Sigh_, starring Takahashi Ryuji and Kyouko-chan. "If her agency is anything like Akatoki, then they keep her address and contact numbers unlisted, and getting past the security at LME to see her at the office between jobs would be impossible for someone like you. Luckily, I know a guy who's gonna guest star on one of the dramas she's working on tomorrow, so I should be able to get you a visitor's pass." Fumiko's confusion only increased as she listened to what Shou was explaining to her, leaving her to try fruitlessly to connect his words to the possible locations of Mogami Kyoko.

"Mogami-san is working for LME? Does she make costumes or something for the actors?" The only way she could see Mogami in the show business world was as some kind of glorified seamstress, since in spite of her Plain-Jane appearance, Mogami had always proven to be surprisingly talented with needle and thread. It was for that reason that she was always put in charge of costumes for their plays during cultural festivals.

"Wha- No!" Shou protested, looking annoyed at Fumiko's inability to understand him. Scowling slightly, Shou leaned forward to smack the ad for _Taste of a Sigh_ so hard, that the magazine was almost torn from Fumiko's hands. "_This_ is Kyoko. She's been working as an actress for nearly four years now." Shock coursed through Fumiko as she gaped at the smiling girl in the ad before her, her eyes widening as she finally connected the stunning golden eyed girl in the photo to the classmate she had helped torment all those years ago. _No way…_

"_Mogami Kyoko is Kyouko-chan_?!"

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Meanwhile, miles away in a small, charming garden, Mogami Kyouko herself paused in the process of applying her lip gloss, a foreign chill running down the twenty year old actress's slim, frame. _What the…?_

"Are you alright, Kyouko-san?" the twelve year old brunette sitting next to Kyouko asked worriedly when she noticed the girl freeze. "You look a little queasy… Do you want me to go find your manager or something?"

"Ah no, I'm fine!" Kyouko assured the younger actress hastily, smiling warmly at the girl to hide the panic she'd felt at her young co-star's suggestion. The last thing she needed was he manager hovering over her like an anxious mother and delaying the shoot for some imagined problem with her health… "Thank you, Mashino-san, but I just had a bad feeling. It's nothing that'll affect my health in any way, and I don't want to delay the shoot with such a silly problem."

"Well, if you're sure…" Mashino Kaoru frowned, reluctantly dropping the subject. "What kind of bad feeling was it, though? Did you forget something?"

"No, nothing like that." Kyouko said with a light laugh as she finished applying her make up, smiling at the girl's anxiousness. "It's probably just nerves or something."

"EH?!" Kaoru's jaw dropped at Kyouko's casual confession. "Nerves? YOU?! I mean, I know I'm nervous, but this is my first big role after two years of small time gigs! Kyouko-san has starred in lots of movies and dramas and all sorts of other things for the past four years! Why would _you_ be nervous?" Kyouko giggled slightly at the awe coloring Kaoru's tone. The young actress had glommed onto the auburn-haired woman as soon as the two had met, gushing about how much she admired Kyouko and how she wanted to be just like her when she grew up. Kyouko found the whole experience very flattering, if a bit embarrassing.

"I always get nervous when I start a new role." Kyouko admitted to the young brunette with a wistful smile. "Nervous, and excited and determined all at once. Each new character is a challenge I can't wait to meet, it's one of the things I love best about being an actress. I bet Mashino-san feels the same way whenever she gets a new role, doesn't she?" Kaoru blushed at Kyouko's knowing smile, grinning sheepishly in confirmation. "Someone I respect very much once told me that those emotions are necessary to make someone a truly great actor."

"Really?" Kaoru pressed, brightening at Kyouko's advice.

"Mashino-san! Kyouko-san! We're ready to shoot Scene 28 are you two finished with make up?" Startled by the crewmember's sudden appearance, both girls hastily turned to face the man.

"Right." Kyouko said, slipping off of her stool and straightening up her outfit a bit. "We'll be there in a second." Giving the two a distracted nod in confirmation, the crewmember rushed off to talk to the cameraman. Shaking her head in bemusement, Kyouko turned and smiled brightly at her young costar. "Well Mashino-san, are you ready to do this?"

"Un!" Kaoru said brightly, nodding happily at the older woman before rushing ahead to get into position for their scene. Kyouko laughed to herself as she watched the girl listen intently to the director's instructions, all thoughts of her bad feeling from earlier forgotten as she slipped into the character of Emiko, the brilliant and defiant rookie female cop who was trying to protect young Yue (played by Kaoru) from being kidnapped by the yakuza gang that killed her parents. Whatever it was couldn't have been that important anyways, if she couldn't even figure out what it was about, and right now she had bigger things to concentrate on.

It was Showtime.

"_Action!_"

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**WoM-** _And THAT would be the first chapter. ^^ I'm trying to keep these a little on the shorter side, to preserve my sanity. No more twenty page chapters for me, that's for sure. XP Also, because I know some smartass is gonna comment on it, Kyouko's stage name is spelled differently in Japanese then her birth name is, even though they're both pronounced the same. That's important in this story, to differentiate how the other characters see Kyouko, so I've chosen 'Kyoko' as the spelling for Kyouko's birth name and 'Kyouko' as her stage name. Sorry if that gets confusing! ''laughs sheepishly' Now then I'm gonna shut up and be on my way. Won't want to keep you guys from reviewing now, would I? 'stares pointedly at readers'_


	2. Peasant To Princess

**WoM-** _0 _ 0 Wow. This story certainly got an enthusiastic response. Some of the reviews were really surprising, especially the comments I got about Fumiko, who seems surprisingly popular for a girl who used to bully Kyouko. Not that I'm complaining, since I have fun writing Fumiko, but it was still a surprise. Though the one that really caught me off guard was a reviewer who said that I portrayed Shou to be more immature then the manga does. I couldn't help but get a kick out of that, considering some of the things Shou's done in the manga. Like stealing a certain girl's first kiss just so she wouldn't stop thinking about him. 'gives Shou an accusing look.' _

_At any rate, I'm sorry it took so long to update. Life's been chaos lately. School's letting out in two weeks though, so I'll have more free time after that. Now then, on to the chapter!_

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**Peasant turned Princess**

_Mogami Kyoko is Kyouko-chan._

Staring dumbly between the torn magazine ad she had in one hand and her yearbook in the other, which was opened to show a picture of a diminutive dark-haired girl smiling shyly at the photographer, Fumiko tried desperately to wrap her mind around what Fuwa-san had repeatedly assured her was the truth, and succeeded at failing miserably to do so. After all, Kyouko-chan was one of the most eagerly watched actresses in Japan, a pretty, polite idol known for her traditional upbringing and incredible talent to become anything her role needed her to be. She was always so cute and trendy, appearing constantly in fashion magazine and at runway shows thanks to her slim, athletic figure and flawless complexion. She was ranked number 4 among the most popular female idols in Japan on Oricon, and was expected to keep on climbing.

Mogami Kyoko, on the other hand, was the annoying, boring girl who was always clinging to Fuwa-san like a leech. She never wore make up, or anything but boring outfits geared more for practicality then looking good. Mogami was quiet, submissive and forgettable, nothing like the bright, shining star that Kyouko-chan was.

_SO HOOOOW?!?!?!_ Fumiko wailed mentally as she compared the two pictures. It was true that the girls had similar face shapes, and their eyes were somewhat alike, but other then that Fumiko couldn't find any resemblance at all between the girls. Kyouko-chan was born on Christmas, wasn't she? Fumiko couldn't remember when Mogami had been born, but it wasn't the 25th of December, was it? Maybe Fuwa-san was wrong, and had mistaken Kyouko-chan for Mogami on accident.

_But he seemed so certain…_ A small voice in the back of Fumiko's head whispered treacherously. _Surely he wouldn't be mistaken about a girl he had spend practically every day with growing up._ Sighing, Fumiko closed her yearbook and tucked it and the _Taste of a Sigh _ad back into her tote bag, deciding that it didn't really matter very much right now. She was on her way to the Studio where the fantasy-drama _Dragon Eye_ was being shot to speak with Kyouko-chan in person, to try and convince her to come to her school's reunion without letting on that Fuwa Shou had sent her.

Fumiko groaned was her stomach lurched unpleasantly as the bus bounced over a pothole, suddenly wishing that someone else had won the 'Give Shou-sama His Invitation' lottery in her place. Mogami or no Mogami, she'd die of humiliation if she threw up in front of Kyouko-chan…

Before she could contemplate this horrifying possibility any further the bus jolted to a sudden stop and Fumiko was forced to gather her remaining courage and head for the exit. Sakura Studios was only a ten minute walk from her stop, and Fumiko got through the gates surprisingly easily after showing the man the pass that Fuwa-san had given to her, earning only a suspicious glare and a strict lecture from the security guard not to disturb anyone before he gave her directions to Studio 33, where _Dragon Eye_ was filmed.

_Something's going to go wrong, I just know it._ Fumiko thought glumly as she made her way to Studio 33. What was Fuwa-san thinking, sending her to get Kyouko-chan? If Kyouko-chan really was Mogami, then why on earth would she be any happier to see Fumiko, who had tormented her throughout the girl's school life in Kyoto (though not as extensively as other girls in her class) then Fuwa-san, the man Mogami adored with all her heart and soul?

"Whoa, you okay there?" Startled, Fumiko looked up, freezing when she came face-to-face with Sabara Hiroko, lead singer of the J-rock band _Thorn_ and number 10 most popular male idol in Japan. Shirtless. With a sweaty towel hanging around his gorgeous neck. And mystic-looking symbols drawn in an angry red body paint all over his face, chest and arms. "You look like you're gonna spew any second. Should I call a doctor over here or something?"

"Eh?" Fumiko stammered out, tensing under the handsome dark-haired male's scrutiny. "Wha- Oh! N-n-n-no! I'm fine! I'm just… well… ah… W-why am I here again?" Fumiko felt stupid as the singer raised an eyebrow at her, mentally hitting herself for turning into such an idiot. Curse her weakness for sexy male six packs… "K-Kyouko-chan! I'm supposed to meet Kyouko-chan!" At this, Hiroko's expression brightened a bit and he studied the girl with a little more interest.

"Oh, so you're the old classmate Fuwa was talking about, huh?" He said cheerfully. "Sorry, I thought you were an extra or something that got lost on their way to set. Fuwa said you were coming today, but he didn't tell me what you looked like." Fumiko blushed as Hiroko chuckled to himself, somewhat disappointed by the singer's offhand comment about Shou not even bothering to describe her to him. "I'm Sabara Hiroko, from _Thorn_. Fuwa told you I'm guest starring in an episode of _Dragon Eye_ today, right?"

"Y-yes." Fumiko lied, blushing even brighter in her anxiety. Fuwa-san hadn't said a word about which idol was supposed to be getting her in to see Kyouko-chan. Fumiko pushed that thought to the back of her mind though, and tried to focus on bowing clumsily to the singer before her. "Um, I'm Watanabi Fumiko. It's a great honor to meet you, Sabara-san."

"Hey, anything to help unravel the mystery of Fuwa's connection with Kyouko-chan." Hiroko laughed lightheartedly, ushering the girl inside. "All anyone ever gets by asking either of them is that they grew up together. Everybody in show business is dying to know the nature of their relationship."

"I'm sorry." Fumiko said as she scurried into the studio after Hiroko. "I'm afraid that I didn't know Mo- ah, Kyouko-chan very well when we were in school together." Fumiko admitted uncomfortably, remembering the way she and her friends had bullied the girl growing up.

"Did she and Fuwa always fight like they do now?" Hiroko asked curiously.

"…What?" Mogami fight with _Fuwa-san_? Fumiko couldn't imagine the star struck Mogami she knew ever raising her voice to Fuwa Shou, and Kyouko-chan getting riled up at anyone completely went against the image everyone had of the popular actress.

"Yeah, they never make a peep in public, but behind the scenes they're at each other's throats like some old married couple. It's pretty interesting to watch them… bit of a bummer though. I mean, between Fuwa and Tsuruga, a guy like me doesn't have a shot in hell with Kyouko-chan."

"Then those rumors about Tsuruga-san and Kyouko-chan are true?" Fumiko asked in surprise. "I always thought they were just tabloid trash…"

"Nngh… Well, no one can really say for sure. Their relationship seems innocent enough, and all the people I talk to say that they're just sempai and kohai and that Tsuruga's just extra protective of Kyouko-chan, especially when it comes to guys. But I dunno though, I always kinda caught a weird vibe from the two of 'em whenever they were in a room together." Fumiko frowned at the singer's unsatisfactory explanation. A weird vibe? How on earth did a 'weird vibe' convince people that something was going on between Kyouko-chan and Tsuruga-san without any other kind of evidence? It all just sounded like a lot of silly gossip to Fumiko…

_At least with Fuwa-san and Mogami, we could all see it._ Fumiko thought sullenly to herself. Fuwa ignored all the girls in class, save for Mogami. Those two went everywhere together, did everything together and knew everything about one another. Everyone knew that Mogami would die to make Fuwa happy, and though Fuwa often acted like he didn't really care that much about Mogami, no one in their class could forget the way he'd lost it and started a big fight when some boys from their school got too rough playing soccer and wound up scraping Mogami's arm up pretty badly in the forth grade.

"Ah, here we are!" Hiroko said happily, drawing Fumiko out of her memories. Startled, the brunette blinked owlishly at the opaque white door in front of them with the gold star proclaiming 'Kyouko-sama' on it. The girl tensed in anticipation as Hiroko knocked loudly on the door, triggering a hasty scuffling sound from the other side before the door opened just enough to reveal a frowning blonde woman.

"Sabara-kun?" the older woman said, a raising a puzzled eyebrow at the dark haired young man before her as he waved cheekily in reply.

"Yo!" He chirped out happily before shouting around the woman into the dressing room. "Kyouko-chan, you covered up in there?"

"Sabara-kun!" The blonde repeated, sounding scandalized. "Really, now! Shouldn't you be getting ready to shoot scene 49?"

"Sorry, nee-chan, but my friend here's a big fan of Kyouko-chan." Hiroko explained smoothly with a grin. "I told Kyouko-chan earlier that she was gonna be dropping by for a bit, and Kyouko-chan said it'd be fine to introduce her. You're not gonna have Kyouko-chan breakin' her promises now are you?"

"Sabara-kun…" The blonde growled out, a vein popping out of her head.

"Calm yourself, Tsurine-san." A soft voice called out smoothly from inside the room. "Jiro is right. To refuse a promised audience would be highly dishonorable. Allow them entry." Fumiko blinked in surprise at the strange, formal manner of speaking that Kyouko-chan was using. _Wait did she just call Sabara-san 'Jiro…?' _Before Fumiko could wonder about this any further, though, the fuming Tsurine-san reluctantly opened the door to admit the pair.

"You are _sooo_ lucky she's in character right now… Look, just try not to take too long, okay? We've got fifteen minutes until scene 49's supposed to be shot, and Kyouko-chan's schedule's so packed today it's not even funny. If you wind up wasting our time with something stupid, then you're gonna be the one to explain things to Kyouko-chan's manager, _not_ me." Hiroko laughed nervously at the threat burning in the blonde's eyes.

"U-understood, costume manager-san!" the singer said as he edged his way into the room, followed by a puzzled Fumiko.

Who froze on the spot when she entered and got a good look at Kyouko-chan.

Fumiko had never seen _Dragon Eye_ before, and only vaguely knew it as an action-fantasy drama about a teenage rebel and his best friend accidentally getting sucked into a parallel universe by a strange shape shifting creature, where they became the protectors of the young, powerful seer who was chosen to rule the land (played by Kyouko-chan). Fumiko knew most of this because her little brother watched _Dragon Eye_ regularly, and was particularly obsessed with Kyouko-chan's character.

Looking at her right now, Fumiko could definitely see why.

The Kyouko-chan gracefully sitting before her wore a long wig of hair white as the fallen snow, held back with a gold band that fell on the woman's lower back. A shimmering pale blue dress sheathed the actress' body, showcasing Kyouko's soft, feminine curves without actually putting anything on public display. Golden cuffs matching the woman's hair band encased each of Kyouko's wrists, attached to a series of intricate rings she wore on her fingers that tapered off to accent her long nails, which had been painted a subtle silvery color. Golden sandals peeked out from underneath the pale blue dress, and a midnight blue sash was tied loosely around the actress' waist.

The most startling thing about the woman's appearance though, where the quicksilver eyes that watched her every move with calm, dispassionate attentiveness. It wasn't the strange color that made Fumiko go still, though. The way Kyouko-chan watched her… it was as if she had already _knew_, but was keeping her guard up so as not to tip her hand too early. Not to mention that everything about Kyouko's posture and attitude made Fumiko feel more like she was in the presence of royalty then the plain, boring girl she'd made fun of growing up.

Just when Fumiko was about to give into her irrational urge to throw herself into a dogeza at the actress' feet and apologize for intruding, Hiroko bounded forward and threw an arm around Kyouko's shoulders, blatantly ignoring the costume manager's indignant cry as he did so.

"Sabara-kun! I just finished fixing her outfit, you little-!"

"Kyouko-chan!" Hiroko sang out cheerfully. "Let me introduce you to my good friend, Watanabi Fumiko- it is Watanabi Fumiko, isn't it?" Fumiko nodded mutely at the question as Tsurine stopped glowering long enough to frown suspiciously at Hiroko's flippant question of something he should have already known about a 'good friend.' "Fumiko-chan, I'm sure you already know Kyouko-chan here, right?"

"Watanabi…" Kyouko murmured, blinking a few times. Suddenly, her demeanor changed completely as she stared at Fumiko with wide, surprised eyes. "Watanabi Fumiko? Could you by chance be the Watanabi-san who attended Class 3-A in Toriyama's Secondary School?" Fumiko bit back a flinch as that innocent statement dug into her still healing spiritual wound. How unfair that Mogami remembered her when Fuwa-san didn't…

"Y-yes, that's me." Fumiko confessed, fidgeting under the actress' scrutiny. Her stomach twisted into knots as she waited for the starlet to speak again. She wasn't going to throw her out, was she? Fumiko couldn't really blame her if she did, everything considered, but nonetheless the girl prayed vigorously that Mogami didn't remember how often Fumiko had tormented her growing up. Instead of calling security to have her removed though, Kyouko turned and smiled at Hiroko.

"Sabara-san?" She said, fixing him with a pointed look. "Shouldn't you be in make up right now? You're going to need to have the paint touched up for scene 49, remember?"

"Eh?!" Hiroko said, aghast. "B-but-!"

"I'll get right on it, Kyouko-sama." Tsurine said, catching the singer by the back of the neck and hauling him out the door. "Honestly, you should've taken care of this right after your break! If we need an extension before we can start filming, so help me…" Fumiko blushed under Kyouko's steady gaze as Tsurine's and Hiroko's argument faded as the two moved further away. Once they were gone completely, Kyouko finally spoke.

"I'm surprised." She sighed, standing up so gracefully that Fumiko couldn't help but feel a pang of envy as Kyouko absently straightened out the folds of her dress in a smooth, practiced motion. "I wouldn't think anyone from Kyoto would recognize me as I am now…"

"I… wasn't sure if it was you or not." Fumiko confessed honestly enough. "But I wanted to see for myself… And to apologize." If she was going to ask Mogami to come back to Kyoto with her in order to ensure Fuwa-san's presence, then she should probably start by making extra nice with the girl. "Mogami-san, I was horribly mean to you when we went to school together, playing all sorts of thoughtless, cruel pranks just because I was jealous. I want to apologize for all the pain I put you through, and give you this." Here, Fumiko hastily dug out the backup invitation she'd been instructed to bring for Shou, just in case she'd lost the first one. "It's an invitation. Our secondary school's having a five year reunion, and it would mean a lot to us if you could make it."

"Watanabi-san…" Kyouko said, looking surprised. Then her face broke into a bright smile, taking Fumiko aback. "Thank you. It must have been hard for you to come all this way and say that… Of course I accept your apology!" Fumiko felt her face flush as she realized that Kyouko had assumed that Fumiko had come all the way from Kyoto just to apologize to her, guilt twisting her stomach into a knot. "But as far as the reunion goes… I'm afraid there's no way I could make it to something like that."

"Wh-what?!" Fumiko said, horrified. No! If Mogami didn't come, then Fuwa-san wouldn't either!

"Make it to what?" A voice behind Fumiko interrupted before the brunette could protest the actress' decision. Startled by the intrusion, Fumiko turned to tell the eavesdropper off, only to have her tirade die on her tongue at the sight of the man who dared to enter Kyouko's room without knocking.

_Oh, Kami-sama…_

"Shin-chan!" Kyouko-chan said brightly, her expression becoming ten times more cute and childlike. "Did you finish talking to Le'Moire-san? She's not angry, is she?"

"No, Le'Moire-san said that she has no problem moving today's meeting back half an hour. Apparently, she needed to extend her meeting with her team anyways, so it actually worked out to her benefit."

"That's a relief. I'd hate for her to be angry with me for changing the appointment practically at the last minute."

"I doubt that woman could ever get all that angry at you, Kyouko-san." Came the scoffed reply from the man. "Now stop trying to distract me and tell me what you can't make it to." Kyouko deflated at that order, sighing in defeat as the man glared pointedly at her.

"Well… Shin-chan, this is Watanabi-san, my former classmate from Kyoto." Kyouko said, motioning to Fumiko, who gave a dazed bow without taking her eyes off the man in front of her. "Watanabi-san, Shin-chan has been my manager for the past two years now."

"Nice to meet you." 'Shin-chan' said, nodding curtly at Fumiko, who didn't dare reply verbally for fear of saying something that'd embarrass herself.

There was no doubt in Fumiko's mind that Kyouko's manager was the largest, most frightening man she'd ever seen. He was easily seven feet tall and built like a tank with a neatly trimmed crew cut of black hair. His neck was thicker then Fumiko's waist, and his arms were so muscular that Fumiko half suspected that the man could bend steel with his bare hands. The thing that drew Fumiko's attention most, though, was the long scar that dragged across his face, starting at his right temple and ending at his collarbone.

All in all, the man looked more like a mercenary then a manager, and certainly not someone who should be addressed with a cutesy name like 'Shin-chan.'

"Watanabi-san was just telling me that my middle school is having a reunion, Shin-chan." Kyouko explained to the giant man. "That's what I can't make it to."

"Oh?" Shin's thick eyebrow went up as he fixed Kyouko with a pointed look. "And why can't you make it to this reunion?"

"Shin-chan!" Kyouko sighed irritably. "It's all the way in Kyoto! I'm much too busy right now to make that kind of trip! Think of all the filming I'll miss!"

"When does this reunion take place, Watanabi-san?" Fumiko jumped slightly when Shin turned to address her, and then flushed at her reaction.

"T-the 22nd, sir." Fumiko responded hastily, not wanting to potentially anger the man by making him wait for a reply. Shin hummed thoughtfully before pulling a glittery pink daily planner with floral print all over it out of a pocket inside his coat (which Fumiko face-faulted after seeing, earning a confused look from Kyouko), which he flipped through for a moment until he found the page he was looking for.

"You're in luck, Kyouko-san. There's no filming scheduled for the 22nd. Just some promotional work, which can be rescheduled easily enough."

"Kyoto is a long ways away." Kyouko reminded her manager sharply. "I'll need to leave the day before the reunion, and I won't be able to come back until the day after. That means _three days_ of no filming, Shin-chan, not just one. Not to mention making reservations at a hotel, handling transportation, trying to find an outfit-!"

"Kyouko-san." Shin sighed. "I think you know full well that none of these are really excuses for why you can't go to Kyoto. If you're going to protest, at least be honest with me." Kyouko's lips thinned for a moment before her face twisted into an unforgiving scowl.

"Fine, you want the truth? I don't believe for one minute that the girls from my middle school didn't invite _him_ to their precious reunion! In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if this was all just an excuse for them to see him again. Unless you want a repeat of the last incident and all the damage control that came with it, then the smartest thing for me to do is stay _far_ away from Fuwa Shou."

"A-actually, Fuwa-san already said that he wasn't going to come." Fumiko supplied quickly, trying to hide her surprise. Why on earth would Mogami be so adamant about not seeing Fuwa-san? And what was all this about 'incidents' and 'damage control?' had their relationship really gotten that bad? If that was the case, then why did Fuwa-san want to see _her_ so badly?

"There, you see Kyouko-san?" Shin sighed. "I've already told Takarada-Shachou that you've been working far too much lately, and that I'm concerned about your health, and he agreed that you should take a break. Three days in Kyoto among familiar faces may be just what the doctor ordered."

"Shin-chan! I keep telling you I'm fine!" Kyouko huffed out angrily. "This is nothing to bother the president about! I like acting, and I don't feel comfortable unless I stay busy!"

"Kyouko-san, you almost fainted during your judo lessons for _Hot Shot_. Obviously, you're not fine." Kyouko flushed at her manager's reminder, crossing her arms defensively.

"I was just a little dehydrated! A little water, and I was fine again!"

"Please, Kyouko-san. Takarada-Shachou and I are both very worried about you, we know how you are about your work, and we're afraid that you're taking on too much at once. Just take three days off in Kyoto to relax, that's all we're asking for." Kyouko wavered at her manager's soft, unflinching tone before her shoulders fell and she sighed in defeat, smiling at the large man with a sort of exasperated affection.

"Alright, I guess three days in Kyoto wouldn't be all that terrible, if it's for you and the president. I owe you two much more then just that. Besides, if Shou really isn't going to be there, then there shouldn't be any problems." Fumiko bit back a flinch as Kyouko stepped forward and took the invitation from her hands before she pushed back her guilt and reminded herself that this was all for the better. After all, it was important that Fuwa-san come to the reunion, no matter what. Smiling brightly, Fumiko opened her mouth to thank Kyouko for being so compliant when a loud, urgent growling noise made the girl freeze, her face paling dramatically before all the blood rushed back with a vengeance when she saw the way Kyouko and her manager were staring.

"W-Watanabi-san…" Kyouko began delicately. "When was the last time you ate?"

"I had an apple this morning, before coming here." Fumiko offered, wanting to die where she stood. Of all the times for her stomach to betray her!

"That's it?" Kyouko demanded, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Fumiko nodded meekly in reply, feeling very much like a child being scolded by her mother.

"I used up most of my money on the hotel room last night, and I needed to make sure I still had enough for my ticket home!" Fumiko explained hastily. "I'm going to catch the 2:00 train, and it'll only take a little more then two hours to get back to Kyoto, I should be able to last that long…"

"The 2:00 train?" Shin-chan asked, frowning thoughtfully to himself. "But that leaves in half an hour, doesn't it? And it takes longer then that to get to the train station from here… The brunette froze at the large man's words, dread pooling in her empty stomach.

"W-what?!" Fumiko exclaimed, hastily checking her watch. Her mouth dropped when she saw that the manager was right. How did she not realize that sooner?! "I can't believe this! There's no way I can go back by bus, and I don't have enough money for another night at that hotel!" Cursing herself for her stupidity, Fumiko groaned softly as she tried to figure out what she could do, short of sleeping on the streets of Tokyo. Given his less-than-warm welcome, Fumiko kind of doubted that Fuwa-san would let her stay the night with him… not that she even knew where he lived to begin with.

"Well, if you just need to stay overnight, I have plenty of room for you." Kyouko offered brightly, smiling at Fumiko's surprised look. "I can even guarantee a homemade dinner with a free bed."

"B-But there's no way I could intrude like that!" Fumiko protested loudly, feeling her entire body flush brilliantly at the actress' kindness.

"It's fine." Kyouko replied with a lighthearted laugh, waving the girl's objection away. "I like having people over. It does get pretty lonely living by yourself, you know…" Fumiko wouldn't know, actually, having lived with her parents and younger brother her whole life, but the wistful smile at Kyouko's lips told the girl that the actress was being honest with her. Why she'd offer to take her in after all that Fumiko and her friends did to her, the brunette had no idea, but…

"If that's the case… thank you for your hospitality." Fumiko said, suddenly feeling shy. Kyouko giggled.

"Like I said, it's no problem at all! I just hope you don't mind following us around all day until we get home. I've still got four more jobs after this one's done… Oh, I almost forgot! We should-!"

"-call ahead and inform the other parties that we'll be bringing a guest?" Shin-chan finished Kyouko's sentence, looking amused as he looked up from the phone he was currently dialing a number on. "Already on it. Also, I'll see about getting a crewmember to bring Watanabi-san one of those bentos they ordered for the cast and crew, to tide her over until dinner."

"…I don't know how I lived so long without you, Shin-chan." Kyouko said in reverence. Shin chuckled at his young charge, but before he could respond, a knock sounded sharply on Kyouko's dressing room door.

"Kyouko-san! They're ready for you on set!"

"Thank you, we'll be out in a moment!" Kyouko called back, before turning to give Fumiko a playful smile. "Well? Wanna see what real filming looks like, Watanabi-san?" Fumiko looked startled at Kyouko's question, mostly due to the fact that she was still reeling over Kyouko inviting her into her home, but didn't get a chance to respond before Kyouko grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door with an excited giggle.

_Something tells me that this is going to be one interesting night…_ Fumiko thought dimly as she allowed the actress to pull her all the way to the set.

* * *

**WoM-** _Well, that's all for now! Please stick around for the next chapter, and please don't forget to review! I really loved reading all of your thoughts and responses, and can't wait to hear what you guys thought of this chapter!_

**Thanks To;**

_TheGrownUpRainbowBrite__, __Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet__, __okinawa haruhi__, anonymous, Reader, __MidniteRoses__, __Velveteenrabbit__, The World's Eyes, __awalkingparadox__, Jack, __kyoko minion__, __monya__, bringme2life, __Sillvog__, __TheRealSnowMonkey__, __bloodmoon13__, __Autumn Amber__, __eternalLament43__, __Yumia's Fountain Pen__, __cacrulz__, Shadow Girl, __piggycat350__, __The nameless soul__, , __Arcellant__, __thats absurd.I LOVE IT__, Eri..:....:..!!!, __yueyuuko__, __Runadaemon__, __addenza__, __Redvines32__, Kelly, __Call it Karma__, __Esa MaRie__, __J Luc Pitard__, __Faenea__, __Ishasuki Mitochi_


	3. Star Treatment

**WoM-** _For some reason, this chapter didn't want to be written. Probably because it's my least favorite chapter in this story, but meh. Point is, it's done and over with so we can move on with our lives. 'curls up in a corner and falls asleep.'_

* * *

**Chapter 3; Star Treatment**

…She was dreaming.

Staring at the man (dressed in a military uniform made completely out of glitter and bright sea-foam green and baby blue sequins) that had just burst out of the office of one of the most famous fashion designers in the world, Fumiko was sure she was dreaming. The fact that neither Kyouko nor Shin seemed even remotely surprised at the older man's gaudy appearance only confirmed this in the brunette's overwhelmed mind.

"Ah, Mogami-san!" The man said jovially, making his way towards them. "What a pleasant surprise! You have a meeting with Cheri, I presume?"

"Yes, Shachou-san." Kyouko said warmly, bowing to the man politely. "Le'Moire-san is honoring me with the privilege of representing her spring fashion line."

_President?_ Fumiko thought incredulously. This guy was a president? _President of what, the loony bin?_

"Wonderful!" The man beamed brightly, nodding his approval, "I'm sure you'll do an incredible job, Mogami-san."

"I'll do my best, Shachou-san." Kyouko said determinedly, giving the man a small smile. "The last thing I would want to do is disappoint you, after everything you did to allow me into LME." Hearing that, Fumiko immediately face-faulted.

_THIS MAN IS THE __**PRESIDENT**__ OF __**LME**__? _

"Mogami-san, I doubt you could ever disappoint me." The man chuckled warmly, looking at the petite girl before him with a warm, paternal glow. "I trust your jobs have been going well, Mogami-san? Not overexerting yourself anymore, are you? I don't want any more calls from Igami-san here about you fainting again." Kyouko flushed at that as her manager shot the girl a pointed, 'I-told-you-so' look.

"I- I apologize for any undue concern I may have caused you, Shachou-san!" Kyouko said hastily. "It was most unprofessional of me not to think to take a water break during practice! I promise not to make the mistake again in the future!"

"Indeed, Takarada-shachou." Shin piped up ruefully, opening the floral day planner again to show that day's page, jammed packed with so much writing that it seemed to have more ink on it then paper. "Kyouko-san's schedule today proves how well she's learned her lesson about overexerting herself." Kyouko's embarrassment only increased at her manager's not-so-subtle chastising as the president of LME gave an exasperated sigh.

"Really, Mogami-san, will you ever learn your lesson?" The man asked, looking surprisingly stern for someone who was completely covered in glitter. "It's wonderful that you're keeping busy, but you have to remember to stop and smell the roses sometimes too! The last thing LME needs is another obsessive workaholic like Ren…"

"But Tsuruga-san is the hardest working and most sought after actor in Japan!" Kyouko protested, some of her humble attitude ebbing at the slight on her beloved sempai. "It would be an honor to be even a fraction of what he is!"

"I'm not denying that Ren is brilliant at what he does." Takarada said flippantly, waving away Kyouko's protests like an annoying bug. "But the man is so obnoxiously wrapped up in his work, that not only does he not have anything resembling a personal life anymore, but he also has to be reminded to stop and have a quick bite to eat! Hmph! At this rate, that Ren will be forty soon, and still wouldn't have found a good woman to settle down with!"

"Tsuruga-san is only twenty-four, Shachou-san." Kyouko reminded her boss dryly. "He's not exactly a spinster yet. And I'm sure Tsuruga-san could have anyone he wants! Why, any woman Tsuruga-san finds worthy of loving would be thrilled to have his attention like that! As for the eating thing… well, we've been working on that, whenever we can."

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear to say that, Mogami-san!" Takarada said with a wicked-looking grin. Fumiko blinked, unable to figure out if the man was referring to the 'eating thing' as Kyouko had put it, or the glowing praise the young starlet gave to Tsuruga Ren's ability to seduce the pants off any living, breathing woman. While the brunette was considering this, she failed to notice how Takarada Lory's watchful eyes turned to her. "Oh? And who is this? A new friend, Mogami-san?"

"Watanabe-san is a former classmate of mine, from Kyoto, Shachou-san." Kyouko explained to the president before turning to Fumiko. "Watanabe-san, This is Takarada Lory, the president of LME and the reason I was able to become the actress and woman I am today."

"You give me too much credit, Mogami-san." Lory said, smiling nonetheless. "A pleasure to meet you, Watanabe-san."

"Watanabe-san came here to invite Kyouko-san to a class reunion her middle school is having in a few months, Shachou-san." Shin explained to the gaudily-dressed man.

"A party?" Takarada summarized, brightening considerably. "How wonderful! I'll book the Tokyo Orchestra and call up a couple dozen of my favorite chefs!" Kyouko and Shin's expressions of lax amusement at their president's antic turned to blind panic in the blink of an eye at the man's last sentence.

"Shachou-san, it's just a simple middle school reunion!" Kyouko said hastily. "That's way too much for the other guests to handle!"

"Besides, it's going to be all the way in Kyoto, Shachou-san." Shin reminded the man quickly. "I doubt you'll be able to leave the company alone that long to go play host."

"I suppose you're right." Lory said with a long suffering sigh, making his two employees sweatdrop. "Speaking of which, I must go. I have a meeting I must attend with our singing department. Take care Igami-san, Mogami-san. And Kyouko-san, remember what I told you about your health."

"I will, Shachou-san." Kyouko replied with a respectful bow. "Goodbye, and thank you for all your hard work!"

"And you too, Mogami-san!" Lory said cheerfully, waving to the actress as he boarded the private elevator. "It was nice meeting you, Watanabe-san, I hope you enjoy your stay here in Tokyo."

"Y-yes, thank you very much!" Fumiko answered with an awkward bow as the elevator doors closed. Lifting her head to stare uncertainly at the smooth metal doors, Fumiko couldn't help but feel like she had just come out of a freak hurricane. "Was that man really the president of LME? He seems so… so…"

"I believe the word you're looking for is 'stark raving mad,' Watanabe-san." Shin supplied dryly to the uncertain country girl.

"Sums it up pretty nicely." Fumiko agreed, nodding her head.

"Shin-chan!" Kyouko scolded, though the smile she was fighting told the two how much she agreed with her manager's summary of the president's mental health. "Shachou-san may be a little eccentric, but there isn't a man on earth who knows show business as well as he does. Besides, if it wasn't for him caring so much about his employees, I'd still be the broken person I was when I first tried to enter LME."

"…What?" Fumiko said, puzzled by the girl's wistful comment. Broken? Kyouko-chan?

"It's nothing." Shin said to the newcomer dismissively. "Now come along, we don't want to be late meeting up with Le'Moire-san and the other model for this shoot."

"Of course, Shin-chan!" Kyouko said brightly, gliding forward to enter the room. A few steps ahead of the actress, Shin dutifully held the door open for the girls as they entered the spacious and chic office of Cheri Le'Moire.

"Kyouko-chan!" The heavyset woman greeted the girl with a warm smile. "Punctual as always, my dear."

"I apologize for rescheduling our appointment at the last minute, Le'Moire-san." Kyouko said with a humble bow. "And thank you for allowing my guest to come as well."

"It's nothing, child." Le'Moire dismissed the girl's words with a wave of her hand. "You are far too eager to prostrate yourself, my dear. While it's a refreshing change of pace, you must remember to hold onto your pride as well! I was just telling Lory-kun that I was worried about you letting others take advantage of your kindness."

"Make no mistake, Le'Moire-san, that as long as I'm around that sort of thing will not happen." Shin spoke up with the slightest hint of steel in his voice.

…Suddenly, Fumiko had to quell the urge to hide in a cave on some remote mountain.

"I'm happy to hear it, Igami-san." Cheri said with a satisfied nod as she stood. "Now then, shall we continue? The other model I chose is already situated on the strip I chose for the shoot. Apparently, it was closer to her last job then the office was, so she chose to meet us there. Kyouko-chan, I'd like you to ride with me if that's alright with you."

"Eh?" Kyouko blinked before shooting her manager a concerned frown. "Shin-chan, are you alright with-?"

"I will follow you in the car, Kyouko-san." Shin said firmly, smiling at the adoring look Kyouko graced him with for answering her question before she even finished it.

"Then Watanabi-san and I will be honored to accompany Le'Moire-san." Kyouko said brightly.

_We will?_ Fumiko thought, mildly disappointed. Although the thought of riding alone in a car with a man as scary as Igami Shin was a little terrifying, Fumiko (who had never thought of herself as a girl who cared about such things) had quickly fallen in love with Kyouko's car, a metallic silver Fairy Design Porsche Panamera, complete with a beige interior which had little winged sprites embossed into the surfaces of the seats. Kyouko had affectionately explained that the vehicle was an eighteenth birthday present from a dear friend of hers, who had also helped her get her license to drive it.

"I didn't want to accept it, to be honest." Kyouko had admitted with an embarrassed laugh as she told Fumiko this. "But this particular friend makes it exceedingly difficult to refuse any of his gifts, especially over the top ones like these. Besides, he knows my tastes far too well, I'm afraid." Here, Kyouko pouted momentarily and muttered something about fairies and sneaky sempais. "I try to make it up to him in whatever ways I can, though." Privately, Fumiko couldn't help but think that she would probably marry the friend who bought her such a beautiful car.

The lovely Porsche was forgotten, though, when Fumiko followed Kyouko and Cheri to the fashion designer's ride.

"A limo?" Fumiko gasped, eyes widening to the side of dinner plates at the long, sleek black limo that Cheri was climbing into. "We're going by limo?"

"Coming, Watanabi-san?" Kyouko asked curiously as she began to slide into the luxury car as well.

"Y-yes!" Fumiko squeaked, feeling completely in over her head. Exotically dressed presidents, managers that looked like they could go one on one with Rambo, expensive cars, actress that could change personalities on a dime… it was all too much for the simple country girl who'd thought that a hot classmate with a great singing voice was as good as life got.

_There's no way anyone at home is ever gonna believe any of this._ Fumiko thought to herself as she climbed into the limo.

And she was still almost sure she was dreaming.

* * *

"Oh, what a cute café!" Kyouko gushed as the three women emerged from the car with help from the limo's driver. Though she still felt like a fish out of water, Fumiko couldn't help but agree with the starlet's statement. The location of the photo shoot was a classy little café that looked like it had been flown in straight from Paris. Four little black iron wrought tables with matching chairs were lined up in front of the café, separated from the sidewalk by a miniature rose garden that acted like a natural fence.

"Oh good, Kyouko-san, you're finally here!" A man whom Fumiko assumed worked for Cheri Le'Moire said in relief as he approached the actress. "You're going to have to hurry and change, then get over to hair and make up. One of the other shops is starting to complain that we're making a scene, so we want to clear out of here as quickly as possible." It was only then that Fumiko noticed the large crowd of curious onlookers that the set people had collected. Apparently, the local shoppers had been hoping that lingering to watch the professional shoot would give them the chance to see a celebrity.

From the looks and whispers that the young actress she was with was receiving, her appearance did not disappoint.

"Pah!" Cheri scoffed at the man's concerns, wrinkling her nose. "We have the proper paperwork to shoot here, and the owner's permission. Let this other shop complain if they must, there is little more that they could do."

"I'll try to hurry, Ushiyama-san." Kyouko assured the man with a warm smile.

"_KYOUKO-CHAAAAN!_" one of the onlookers shouted out, drawing the attention of the actress in question (Along with everyone else in a mile radius). "_We love you, Kyouko-chan!_"

Fumiko had expected Kyouko's face to burst into flames at the fan's proclamation, given how much she flushed over every tiny compliment she received as a child. Instead though, the actress graced the crowd with a beautiful smile and a wave as more people, spurred by the first fan's outcry, began to express their love as well.

"Thank you very much!" Kyouko shouted out above the rising noise. The crowd started to push against the blockade that had been set up to keep unauthorized personnel off of the set to try and get closer to the actress, but that action was stopped dead in it's track as Shin suddenly appeared at Kyouko's side, as if summoned by magic.

_Oh, so_ that's _why he's her manager!_ Fumiko realized as she watched even the most daring fans cower under Shin's slightly raised eyebrow, a threat lurking in his dark eyes that any man would be foolhardy to tempt.

"Come on, Kyouko, we still have a few more appearances after this, so let's not waste time." Shin said to his charge, who nodded at her manager's logic.

"Yes, I want to get home a little earlier tonight, so that I can prepare dinner for Watanabi-san." Kyouko said, frowning thoughtfully. "That reminds me… One of my neighbors comes over every once in a while to have dinner with me. He's really bad in the kitchen, and I worry about him eating right when he lives all alone like he does. I hope that won't bother you if he stops in during your stay, Watanabi-san."

"Eeh?" Fumiko sputtered, surprised at the thought of the actress cooking for some old bachelor who lived in her complex. As proper as Kyouko was, it was hard to see her doing something that could be taken so scandalously. Still, she had to concur that it was none of her business who Mogami shared her meals with, so she quickly offered her agreement to the matter. "Oh, no! I don't mind in the least, Mogami-san!"

"Excellent!" Kyouko beamed before heading towards a trailer that was marked 'Costume, Hair and Make up' as Shin walked off to talk to the security guards. Sighing in defeat, Fumiko followed the actress as she made her way over to the trailer, jogging to catch up when the actress opened the door to the aluminum single-wide.

And froze, dead in her tracks.

Blinking in surprise, Fumiko watched the transformation that overtook the actress' face, starting with the graceful smile she'd gotten used to seeing from Kyouko, going to a look of complete and total surprise and ending with a beaming grin so bright, Fumiko could swear that it was accompanied with sparkly flowers and fairies.

"MOKO~SAAAAAAN!" Kyouko exuberated, flinging herself forward to throw her arms around the dark-haired target of this almost unnatural affection. Apparently used to this, the other woman dodged deftly so that the smaller actress missed her mark.

"Honestly Kyouko, how many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that?" Kotonami Kanae snapped at her friend sourly. "Mo! You're not sixteen anymore, you know, so stop acting like a child!"

"But Moko~san! It's been so long since we've seen each other!" Kyouko whined in response.

"We talked on the phone just two days ago." Kotonami-san reminded her in a surly tone.

"But that's not the same!" Kyouko pouted cutely.

Fumiko, in the mean time, was still trying desperately to figure out what the _hell_ was going on.

So far, she had managed to work out that A) She was in the same room as the super sexy actress Kotonami Kanae, whom she already knew via popular celebrity magazines was good friends with Kyouko-chan B) Kyouko's maturity level seemed to drop into the single digits at the sight of said friend and C) She was slowly losing her sanity from overexposure to all these crazy celebrities. Blinking in surprise as the two girls bickered (Well, truthfully it was more like Kyouko tried to smother Kotonami with affection, and Kotonami was holding her off with harsh words and glares) Fumiko couldn't help but think that the magazines had gotten it wrong somewhere. While it was true that Kyouko seemed overly fond of Kotonami, the dark haired actress seemed to want nothing to do with her excitable companion.

"Who's this?" Startled out of her thoughts at the question, Fukimo's eyes widened as she realized that Kotonami Kanae was scrutinizing her (and apparently, not liking what she saw very much).

"Oh, Moko-san, this is Watanabi Fumiko, a classmate of mine from Kyoto. Watanabi-san, this is Kotonami Kanae, my best friend."

"P-please to meet you!" Fumiko squeaked out, bowing to the actress.

"I thought you said you didn't have any friends in Kyoto." Kotonami said bluntly, ignoring Fumiko entirely. "You told me all the girls in your class used to bully you."

"Watanabi-san used to bully me as well." Kyouko confirmed casually as she took the first outfit assigned to her out of its protective plastic bag. "But she came here from Kyoto to apologize, and to invite me to a class reunion."

…If the glare that Fumiko was now receiving was any indication, she had clearly jumped to the wrong conclusion when she assumed that Kyouko and Kotonami's friendship was one-sided.

"I'm going to put this on. Moko-san, could you please pull my makeup out of my bag?"

"I'm not your errand girl!" Kanae grouched, already pulling the girl's bag up to do as she asked as Kyouko scurried off into another room to change. "You should have been here on time to set up if you wanted to do your own makeup! Mo!"

"Sorry Moko-san, I'll make it up to you, I promise!" Kyouko called over her shoulder before closing the door behind her. It took a second after the 'click!' for Fumiko to realize that Kyouko had left her and Kotonami alone. Slowly turning to face the beautiful actress, Fumiko cowered under the immense pressure of the killing intent that Kotonami was directing at her with only a cold glare.

"I'll wait outside for you two to get done!" Fumiko squeaked, groping around for the handle of the door behind her (She didn't dare take her eyes off the enraged actress, since that seemed like a death wish to the poor girl) which she flung open, stumbling ungracefully out of the trailer and closing the door behind her.

_Scary!_ Fumiko thought, rivers of tears running down her face. Fumiko had no idea what she'd done to offend the pretty actress, but she could only pray that Kotonami never got the chance to act upon her apparent wrath. Shivering to herself, Fumiko decided that it was in her best interest to stay far, FAR away from Kotonami Kanae.

* * *

"Okay people, that's a wrap! Kyouko-chan, Kotonami-san, excellent job! Take fifteen minutes while we set up the next area." Ushiyama called out as crew members scurried around to clear out lights and props. The two actresses obediently rose as well and headed off to where Fumiko was standing with Le'Moire, Shin and Kotonami's manager, a clean-cut and severe looking woman by the name of Saemi Arisa, who struck Fumiko as a workaholic type who took her job much too seriously.

"Excellent job Kyouko-san, Kotonami-san." Shin said with an approving nod as the actresses joined them. Kyouko glowed at the praise, but Kotonami merely scoffed and looked away.

"It's not like posing for photos is all that hard." She said in a surly tone. "Compared to pretending to be a completely different person, showing off clothes is a walk in the park."

"Yes, I suppose that is true." Le'Moire acknowledged with a light chuckle. "After all, I am not asking you to become anyone else for this shoot. It was the personal friendship that you two girls share that I wanted to use to represent my line, so asking you to play a role would be pointless." Kyouko seemed delighted at the designer's words, but Kotonami just flushed a brilliant scarlet and grumbled quietly to herself.

"Don't pretend you're not enjoying yourself, Kanae-kun." Saemi teased her charge with a soft smile. "Besides, you were the one who insisted that this shoot would help raise your popularity."

"But I didn't know Kyouko was going to be here too!" Kotonami huffed, giving the other actress a pointed look. "How am I supposed to pull ahead of her in the polls when she is doing the same advertisements as me?"

"Eh?" Kyouko blinked. "But Moko-san, I thought you jumped up four spots in the last Oricon poll for female idols? That should have put you one spot ahead of me."

"It would have if you hadn't gone up six." Kotonami said, her tone laced with accusation. "Mo! Don't you pay attention to these sorts of things? What kind of rival are you?"

"Sorry, Moko-san, but I didn't have time to check the polls myself." Kyouko replied guiltily. "I just overheard some of the crew talking about it on _Hot Shot_ and asked them about your ranking. It never occurred to me that I could've gone up as well."

"Of course it didn't." Kotonami sighed, rolling her eyes at her friend's behavior as the managers and Le'Moire watched on in amusement.

_I've never seen such an unusual friendship before… _Fumiko thought to herself as Kyouko apologized to the other actress again. It was obvious that Kotonami took her standings as an actress very seriously, and was extremely competitive with the smaller woman, but strangely enough, she didn't seem to resent Kyouko's success. And, while Kyouko appeared to be apologetic that she wasn't as concerned with the polls as her friend, she wasn't sorry that she was doing so well. The bond between the girls was nothing like the fake smiles and nasty gossip she'd come to know among her friends and fellow Fuwa Shou fans.

"Watanabi-san? Are you alright?" Jolted out of her thoughts by her former classmate's concerned inquiry, Fumiko laughed sheepishly at Kyouko's worried look, trying not to notice the way that Kotonami glared coldly at her over the petite actress's coppery hair.

"I'm fine, Mogami-san!" Fumiko assured the girl hastily.

"I'm sorry that you have to sit through all of this." Kyouko apologized sincerely. "It must be boring for you, to just sit and watch while I work…"

"Not at all!" Fumiko protested earnestly. "I've always loved your movies and TV shows, Mogami-san, and watching you act up close was even more breath taking! Besides, Le'Moire-san is a visionary in the fashion world, and I'll probably never get to see her works modeled like this again!"

"You're too kind, my dear." Le'Moire said, looking bemused at Fumiko's words. "Although your own clothes are rather… _drab_." Fumiko flushed as she looked down at her outfit, a simple green tunic blouse with black khakis and slippers. It _was_ a simple outfit, but it was the only one she had since the sundress she'd worn yesterday to see Fuwa-san needed to be washed.

"I-I'm not like Mogami-san, or Kotonami-san." Fumiko said meekly by way of explanation. "I'm not a thin, pretty girl who looks good in designer clothing, so…"

"Oh come on, you're not that big." Kotonami scoffed.

"That's right, Watanabi-san, I'm sure you'd look really pretty in one of Le'Moire-san's dresses!" Kyouko said, tilting her head to examine the girl.

"Really, my dear." Le'Moire huffed. "Believing that my designs can only look good on a certain type of girl is insulting to me as a designer. After all, the clothes are made to fit that body that is wearing them, not the other way around."

"Oh, no! I didn't mean it like that!" Fumiko flustered at the thought of insulting the woman.

"Good." Le'Moire said with a satisfied nod. "Then of course, you will not object to me making a few alterations to your wardrobe."

"…Eh?" Before Le'Moire's words had the chance to fully register, the woman snapped her fingers and, seemingly out of no where, three very handsome men appeared with measuring tape, cameras and clip boards. With another snap, Fumiko suddenly found herself being pulled every which way in a flurry of movement as the handsome men began measuring every inch of her body, flashes from the cameras going off every now and then and temporarily blinding Fumiko. And, just as quickly as it began, the sudden assault was over, and the handsome men wordlessly presented their findings to Le'Moire and once again disappeared into the crowd.

"There. Now that I have your measurements, I can get started on making you some more presentable clothes. I'll think you rude if you refuse them, so don't try to worm your way out of my gift, young lady!" And, with that stern warning, Le'Moire departed, leaving a stunned Fumiko gaping after her.

"Wh-what just happened?" Fumiko asked, feeling more then a little bit shaken at the strangeness that had just occurred.

"I'm sorry, Watanabi-san! I should have warned you about that!" Kyouko said guiltily, shooting Kotonami a dry look when she caught the dark haired girl snickering. "Le'Moire-san… well, she's a bit unusual when it comes to fashion, and is determined to beautify the world as much as possible. She believes that's her duty as a designer, you see, it's one of the reasons she gets along so well with Shachou-san, to the point where she's his personal designer. So, whenever she can redesign clothes for a person…"

"I see…" Fumiko said, forcing out a weak laugh. "I have to admit, I didn't expect so many people in show business to be so… _interesting_."

"You don't get to be the best by being just like everyone else, Watanabi-san." Kyouko explained with a giggle. "A lot of people in show business are pretty eccentric, but that's part of what makes them so fun to work with."

"Speak for yourself." Kotonami grumbled. Before she could elaborate further, a set hand called for the actresses to return to the shoot, prompting the woman to stand with a rather heavy sigh. "Come on, Kyouko. They need us on set."

"Haa~ai!" Kyouko sang out, prancing after her friend. Shaking her head Fumiko smiled as she watched the actress go.

_Eccentric doesn't even begin to cover it._ She thought to herself in bemusement as Kyouko and Kotonami listened intently to the photographer. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but admit that Kyouko had a point about things being more fun this way. Sighing in defeat, the brunette finally surrendered her reservations in the face of such insanity, figuring that in this situation, it was better to just go with the flow. _At the very least, I'll have a lot of stories to tell when I get back to Kyoto…_

* * *

The rest of the evening went by in a blur of luxuries and famous faces to Fumiko. After the photo shoot ended, She, Kyouko and Shin had separated from Kotonami and Le'Moire, though not before Kotonami shot one last threatening look at Fumiko, and Le'Moire promised to send her designs to Fumiko's home in Kyoto. When that was over, The three went to a popular Tokyo radio station so that Kyouko could give an interview about her new movie, then went to a park so that Kyouko could pose for some posters LME wanted to sell to her fans, some of which somehow heard about the event and showed up to show their support to the actress. After Kyouko posed for some pictures with her fans and signed a few autographs, they left for Kyouko's final job of the night, co-hosting a comedy show with the Bridge Rock brothers.

"I've always thought that this was so surreal." Kyouko had admitted to her in her dressing room at Bridge Rock with a giggle as she did her make up. "I mean, my first big gig was as Bo, and five years later I'm one of the hosts! Just shows how strange show biz can be, ne?"

"_You_ were Bo?" Fumiko had exclaimed, jaw dropping. She'd seen the show's mascot waddling by earlier, and she couldn't imagine Kyouko ever being underneath that ridiculous costume.

"Mm. The original actor didn't show up, so they called me in." Kyouko nodded in confirmation. "The audience loved my performance, so they made me a regular. Then, after I started getting bigger, Shin-chan made me give the role up, since I wasn't getting credited for it and it took up a lot of time. Another LoveMe Member took over the part after that. But then, about two years ago, the ratings of Bridge Rock started to drop, so they decided to bring in a female host to help the Ishibashi brothers. Hikaru-kun, Shinichi-kun and Yuusei-kun really wanted me to have the part, and I missed doing the show, so the decision was really pretty simple." Kyouko revealed to the girl, who reeled at the information the actress had divulged to her so casually.

After watching Kyouko host with the Ishibashi brothers though, it became obvious why they had been insistent on having her as their female co-host. Kyouko completely charmed the audience and guests alike with her innocent and eager nature, and she always seemed to know just what to say, or which expression to make to have the audience roaring with laugher.

After the show ended, and Kyouko had said good bye to her co-hosts and politely shot down Ishibashi Hikaru's offer to take her out to dinner in less then five words (Somehow, Fumiko got the impression that this rejection happened a lot…). With her jobs done for the day, Kyouko exchanged goodbyes with her manager and promptly drove Fumiko to her home, which led the brunette to where she was right now.

"Here we are!" Kyouko chirped brightly as she pulled into a reserved parking space. Fumiko perked up in the passenger seat, having been lulled into a daze at watching the city lights pass by.

"This apartment is lovely, Kyouko-san." Fumiko said in awe as she carefully climbed out of the passenger seat of the Porsche while also taking care not to damage the Ferrari parked next to Kyouko.

"Yes, it's very nice here. The rooms are a little too big for my tastes, but Shachou-san insisted I live here after I moved out of my previous caretaker's home. The security here is airtight, and there were some… problems at the end of my stay in the Darumaya."

"Problems?" Fumiko repeated curiously. Kyouko gave a nervous laugh.

"I found someone breaking in to my room one night. Apparently, they were stealing my possessions and selling them off to my fans for profit."

"What?" Fumiko said, horrified. She'd heard of some other stars with similar problems, but never Kyouko. "That's horrible! Did you get hurt?"

"No, I was fine. Can't say the same for the thief though. I kinda lost it when I saw he was trying to take Princess Rosa." Kyouko admitted sheepishly.

"I… uh, see." She didn't, actually, but Fumiko thought it best for her sanity if she didn't ask the actress to clarify.

"Anyways, I couldn't bear to put Taichou or Okami-san in danger after everything they did for me, so I moved out soon after that. I still drop in on them to talk whenever I have time, though." Kyouko continued, bowing politely to the security guard as he pressed a button that opened a large steel door that separated the garage from the stairway to the main building, earning a tip of the hat and a beaming smile in return.

"So you live alone now?" Fumiko clarified as she followed Kyouko into the building.

"For now." Kyouko confirmed with a nod. "That should change in a month or so, though. One of the new LoveMe Girls is apparently having problems with her home situation, so I volunteered to mentor her and give her a room until she can support herself."

"How long do you think that will take?" Fumiko asked, surprised. She couldn't imagine opening her home up to a complete stranger like that.

"As long as it takes." Kyouko said with a sense of finality in her tone. "Members of the LoveMe Section are there for a reason, and until they confront their problems, they can't move on to become successful talents, or even whole human beings. It's impossible to truly function without the ability to love, after all." Here, Kyouko's smile looked almost painful, her eyes lost in a memory that Fumiko wasn't privy to.

_What happened? _The girl couldn't help but wonder. She was no longer struggling to associate this woman beside her with the giddy, clingy schoolgirl she had known so many years ago. Kyouko and Mogami were clearly two very different entities, and it was obviously due to some big secret that happened in Kyouko's past.

And for some reason, Fumiko had the sinking feeling that it had to do with one Fuwa Shou.

"Kyouko-san, I-!"

'Ding!'

Jumping slightly as the elevator doors slid open, Fumiko put a hand against her rapidly beating heart, missing the smile Kyouko flashed her as she dragged Fumiko onto the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

"Anyways, enough about me! How is everything back in Kyoto?" Kyouko asked eagerly as the doors slid shut and the elevator dutifully began to climb. Fumiko was a little taken aback by the question, since she didn't think Kyoto had anything to offer the starlet bcompared to the luxurious life she lived in Tokyo. Her near confession completely forgotten, Fumiko eyed with girl quizzically.

"What do you want to know?" She asked slowly, uncertain where to start off. Other then Fuwa-san, Mogami Kyoko hadn't really associated with anyone in their school, so-

"How are the Fuwas doing? And everyone else at the inn?"

Oh.

Fumiko had completely forgotten that Kyouko used to live with the Fuwas after her mother suddenly moved away in primary school, which was surprising since it used to be a point of utter loathing for her and the rest of Fuwa Shou's admirers.

"I don't see them very often, but they seem to hold themselves up rather well." Fumiko said carefully, trying to recall the handful of encounters she had with her crush's parents. "They keep themselves busy with work mostly, so they don't have to think about-" Fumiko almost swallowed her tongue when she realized she was about to say, shooting Kyouko a panicked look. Kyouko seemed to know how her sentence was supposed to end, however, if the pained look on the starlet's face was any indication.

"I see…" She said quietly.

"B-but like I said, I don't see them often, so I wouldn't really know!" Fumiko said hastily, kicking herself for her slip. Stupid, stupid, STUPID! "A-and Reina-chan from D-class started working at the inn full time as soon as she graduated college!" She'd jumped on the position in hopes that Shou may some day wish to reconcile with his parents, giving her the chance to see him again before any of their classmates. "I hear that business has really picked up for them in the past few years. They're even thinking about adding onto their main building."

"They're not going to get rid of the forest, are they?" Kyouko asked, looking distressed at the idea. Fumiko shook her head.

"They bought up a few vacant houses next to them, and they're going to tear them down to make the renovations.

"That's nice!" Kyouko said, looking honestly happy for the couple that had fostered her for so many years. "I've worried about them a lot, to be honest, but I've been too afraid to call them. It's wonderful to hear that they're doing so well."

Silently, Fumiko debated on telling the girl about the gossip that Reina-chan had passed along to her, about how the Fuwas kept Kyoko and Shou's rooms exactly as they were when they ran away, locked up tight with the staff expressly forbidden from ever entering either living spaces. To this day, Reina insisted that Shou's father was often found lingering around that area, particularly around Shou's birthday or the holidays, and that sometimes crying could be heard from inside either rooms, which always preceded Shou's mother returning from that hall after her breaks, tucking the keys she kept on a chain around her neck back into the folds of her kimono.

"Oh, here's my floor!" Kyouko said suddenly, shaking Fumiko out of her revere. The girl obediently followed her former classmate out of the elevator and into the hallway, allowing the actress to lead her to her door. Kyouko quickly let the two of them in and flipped on a light, not paying any attention to Fumiko curious inspection of her home as she deposited her purse on a table and exchanged her shoes for house slippers.

"I'm going to check the guest room real fast. Just make yourself at home, okay?" Kyouko called over her shoulder was she headed towards a room. Fumiko barely heard her as she slipped into guest slippers and stepped further into the apartment to inspect the starlet's living room.

After the fancy car and designer clothes, Fumiko was more then a little surprised to find that Kyouko's apartment was rather simple. It was large yes, but sparsely furnished, with only the bare necessities, except for a vase of flowers here or there or a pretty trinket with a fairy tale theme. The most notable thing in the girl's home though was the bookcase lined with all her awards, and the pictures that hung on her walls and decorated her tables. Not professional photos like Kyouko had been posing for earlier, but candid shots that usually featured Kyouko hanging out with her friends. Curious, Fumiko leaned in closer to inspect some of the pictures.

Kotonami Kanae showed up a lot, Fumiko noticed right away. Usually, she looked begrudging in the shots that featured her, but sometimes she'd grace Kyouko with exasperated but affectionate little smiles. Some of the pictures also featured a third girl, whom Fumiko quickly realized was Amamiya Chiori, another actress who had risen to fame around the same time as Kyouko and Kanae. The three girls looked like the best of friends, and Fumiko couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at the girls' obvious bond.

Shaking the feeling off, Fumiko turned to the next group of pictures, which seemed to all feature the crazy president of LME, a cute younger girl with long wavy ash brown hair or both. After giggling at a particularly adorable picture of Kyouko and the little girl wearing matching sundresses, Fumiko turned her attention to the bookcase, studying the awards that she usually only saw on TV with a sense of awe. The only award that Fumiko didn't recognize right off the bat was the framed certificate that held the place of honor dead center on the bookshelf. Getting in closer to read it, Fumiko blinked in surprise when she realized that it was Kyouko's High School Diploma. Frowning, Fumiko tried to wrap her mind around the thought of an actress winning some of the most sought after awards in the entertainment world, and yet her most proud accomplishment was graduating high school? _Fumiko_ had graduated. Most of their middle school classmates had, in fact.

_Well, Mogami always did do really well in school._ Fumiko mused to herself, recalling that the actress had usually placed second or third in their school's rankings. Turning away, Fumiko examined another picture, of Kyouko beaming one of her famous million watt smiles while posing with-

Freezing, Fumiko pulled the picture off the shelf to examine the man in the photo more closely, almost sure that she was seeing things. But sure enough, her eyes were not deceiving her, and she was in fact looking at a photograph of Kyouko with the infamous Tsuruga Ren.

_Wow, I had no idea they were so close._ Fumiko mused. She, like everyone else who ever passed a grocery store gossip rag, knew that there were rumors circulating about Kyouko and Tsuruga-san having some sort of intimate relationship, but when pressed about it, all either of then ever said was that they were good friends and that they admired and respected each other's talent. Fumiko had always thought that was just some rehearsed answer for the media, she had never suspected that Tsuruga-san and Kyouko really _were_ close friends. _Come to think of it though, Sabara-san did say that Tsuruga-san was extra protective of Kyouko-chan._ Fumiko remembered, frowning as she thought back to her conversation with the rock star earlier that day.

Before she could muse upon this any further, a polite rapping noise sounded from the front door. Hesitantly, Fumiko glanced in the direction of the room that Kyouko had disappeared into. The actress had apparently not heard the knock though, since she showed no signs of emerging from the room. Fumiko was mentally debating about answering the door herself when the telltale sound of a key meeting the door's lock chimed out right before the front door opened to allow the visitor access.

"Mogami-san, I- oh." Surprised brown eyes blinked at Fumiko for a moment before a painfully familiar face melting into an absolutely dazzling smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize Mogami-san would be entertaining anyone tonight. I hope I'm not intruding." Fumiko didn't respond to the man's question, mostly because she suddenly found it very difficult to breathe.

"Watanabi-san?" Kyouko's voice called as the actress's soft footsteps padded back into the main room of the apartment. "Is someone at the door?" The petite starlet re-entered the room with a puzzled look on her face, which quickly warped into delighted surprise at the sight of her guest. "Tsuruga-san!"

"I apologize, Mogami-san. I didn't know you'd have a guest tonight." Tsuruga Ren apologized with a warm smile to the young actress. "Perhaps I should come by at a later date…?"

"Oh, no!" Kyouko said, her tone half scolding as she fixed the taller man with a stern frown. "I'm going to see to it that you get as many decent meals as possible, Tsuruga-san! You're far too lenient with your diet! As tall as you are, you should eat twice what you do! Besides, I already told Watanabi-san you might stop by, and she said that it was fine by her, right Watanabi-san?" Looking at the brunette, Kyouko frowned in concern at the unnatural coloring that had overtaken her former classmate's face. "Watanabi-san? Are you alright?"

Fumiko's reply to the actress' inquiry, which included fainting dead away onto Kyouko's impeccably clean floor, could probably have been taken as a 'no.'

**WoM-** _There! NOW will you people stop harassing me about Ren? 'sulks' Oh, and I know this was a bit hard to follow, but to anyone who might be confused about the situation, it kinda breaks down like this;_

_1. Kyouko's room at the Darumaya was broken into, causing serious concerns for her welfare._

_2. Not willing to allow one of his 'children' to get hurt, Takarada Lory immediately found a new place for Kyouko to live._

_3. In Ren's apartment complex._

_4. Right across from Ren's room._

_How did he do it? He's Lory, people._ Lory. _'giggles maniacally'_

_Also, I've had a lot of people complaining to me about the number of OCs in this story. I apologize if this offends anyone, but I find it ridiculous and cheesy to try and make a fic where Kyouko interacts with the same handful of actors, directors and singers in everything she does. It doesn't work that way, people, and anyone who believes it does is deluding themselves. Bear in mind also that, other then Fumiko, who's kinda important, most of the OCs in this fic are kinda just minor roles that are there to fill space. Really, they're just there to give the readers an idea of the kind of people that Kyouko's gotten used to working with. I do thank everyone who expressed their fondness for Shin-chan, though. I'm sorta attached to him myself, so I'm glad he was so well received. 'huggles Shin-chan' Okay, now that THAT fine rant is out of the way, please review!_

**Thanks to-**

Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, TheGrownUpRainbowBrite, Nyos, Aozora, awalkingparadox, justordinaryagain, thats absurd.I LOVE IT, J Luc Pitard, Autumn Amber, Ishasuki Mitochi, miss soad, kyoko minion, Yuki Niwa, zevhan, piggycat350, Arcellant, Catadmin, eternalLament43, Sailor Panda, Esa MaRie, nej24, PersonalLegend, suppusan, shoutarofuwa, KayKit, cacrulz, Sillvog, Aminde, lifeisawesome, HIx13, X-Alex-Chan-X, b, missmeadow, Piink, stice73, wiiTneSs, YelloMarker, prettychinese15, Jhay, Spiritus Addonexus, Paty, Ninja Shen, Anime Writer2, Lita of Jupiter, Shadow Girl, Saphoria Chantelaine, NybCR, Zay, BlueMoonSSR, bbhelen3162, Blanca Rosa, Faye317, BlueMoonSSR, Mog2, staidwaters, 96, Chibi Tsuki, Suzuki


	4. Masquerade

**WoM-** _You guys are probably surprised to be seeing this from me again. I apologize deeply for the long delay, but life has been pretty demanding of late. I won't bore you with personal details or excuses, but I will tell you that until recently, I haven't had the time or motivation to keep up with any of the manga I used to read, Skip Beat among them. I stopped reading it about a year ago, in the middle of the Violent Mission arc, and picked it up again just recently because I found myself missing it and needed something light hearted to get me out of a slump._

_And thus, I fell in love with the series all over again._

_It's been a long time since I felt_ inspired _to write or draw something rather than_ obligated, _but after reading Skip Beat again, I was happier then I've been for a long, long time, and thus I decided to dust off this story again. I really do feel terrible for leaving all of you hanging for so long, and I hope this update lives up to your expectations of this story. I also want to thank everyone who acknowledged this story over on Beatskipper's website, where it was nominated for Best Unfinished Story, which was sort of a double edged sword to me as a writer. Sorry again for the long wait and thank you for all your kindness and support. Now on with the story~!_

* * *

**Masquerade**

"You're sure you're alright, Watanabi-san? You don't need to lie down, do you?" Kyouko asked in concern, fussing over the other girl who was feeling more embarrassed by the second. Especially under the quiet, watchful gaze of Tsuruga Ren, Japan's hottest actor and the #1 Man in Entertainment.

"I'm fine, Mogami-san! Really! It was just… surprising is all…" Fumiko insisted with a weak smile.

_I wonder if this is what it felt like when Alice fell into Wonderland, or when Dorothy landed in Oz…_ The brunette wondered behind her humiliation, trying to avoid eye contact with both stars and pretending that she wasn't sitting and having supper with Kyouko and Tsuruga, lest she faint again and embarrass herself even more.

How sad was it that she'd spent the entire day with the girl, and it had only just now hit her that Kyouko was a star…? She'd been so wrapped up in comparing her to the 'Mogami' she used to be, or trying to figure out what happened between her and Shou, or even just being enchanted by the clothes and the cars and the cameras, and that fact had somehow just slipped right past her until now, leaving her feeling stupid and tongue-tied.

She was also trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Tsuruga visited Kyouko often enough that he had a spare key to her apartment. That seemed terribly intimate to the girl, especially for a pair that insisted they were just friends. No wonder everyone was so suspicious of the nature of their relationship.

_Besides,_ Fumiko thought as she finally chanced a look at Tsuruga when the actor caught Kyouko's attention by offering to set the table. _If a girl has a chance with a guy like _that_ and she doesn't take it, she's either crazy or playing for the other team._

As if sensing her gaze, Tsuruga turned to look at Fumiko as she was contemplating this, making the girl turn fire engine red as she hastily ducked her head back down to avoid eye contact. She wasn't quite fast enough to miss the gentle, polite smile that the actor shot her as he made his way back to the table though, which would easily turn any woman into mush.

"I'm sorry I startled you so much earlier, Watanabi-san." The actor said in a warm, deep baritone that made Fumiko blush even harder.

"N-n-no! I-it's alright! M-M-Mogami-s-san told me that you m-might come!" The bruntette stammered out, all the while wishing that a hole would open up in the earth and swallow her to save her from embarrassing herself anymore. God, she sounded like she didn't know how to talk!

"Sorry, Tsuruga-san. Watanabi-san's visit was so sudden, and I wasn't sure if you were going to be visiting tonight at all, so I didn't call to mention it." Kyouko piped in guiltily from her kitchen. "It's my fault, I should have explained myself properly to both of you."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Mogami-san." Tsuruga chuckled, his smile warming into something truly breathtaking as he turned to speak to the younger actress. "Like you said, it wasn't as though my visit was a sure thing, so it's perfectly fine for you to have a friend over." Turning back to Fumiko, Ren flashed her yet another bone-melting smile. "Besides, now when someone jokes about me making women weak in the knees, I can take it literally."

"I'm pretty sure it was always meant to be taken literally, Tsuruga-san." Kyouko pointed out flatly as Fumiko tried to remember how the whole 'breathing' process worked.

"Was it?" Tsuruga said, sounding faintly surprised. Kyouko merely shook her head and mumbled something under her breath about playboys and poor, unsuspecting Japanese women as she slid a tray into the oven.

"That aside, Tsuruga-san, how is shooting coming along for _The Requiem_?" Kyouko asked, her eyes lighting up with almost child-like eagerness.

"You asked me that just yesterday, Mogami-san." Tsuruga reminded the girl, fighting a smile as Kyouko blushed cutely.

"But… It's just so amazing!" the little redhead said defensively. "I mean, it has magic, and princesses, and-!"

"Alright, alright! I understand…" Tsuruga said, laughing as Kyouko pouted to herself. "But that still doesn't change what I told you yesterday. The shoot is on hold until they can replace the equipment that got broken during the move. It should only take another week or so, if the estimates are right. How about you, Mogami-san? Have the fighting scenes for Hot Shot still been difficult for you?"

Watching the two actors discuss their various jobs, Fumiko felt a little odd. On the one hand, she was beyond relieved that the attention was finally off of her. This gave her time to collect her thoughts and come to terms with the fact that she was in Kyouko-chan's house, and a few feet away from the most well-known and beloved male actor in all of Japan. On the other though, she felt as if she was interrupting something… private. She wasn't exactly sure why she felt this way, since it wasn't as if Tsuruga and Kyouko were doing anything terribly intimate. They were just talking about their jobs. Fumiko did that all the time with her co-workers, too.

…Granted, her co-workers weren't award winning actors, but it was still more normal then almost everything else Fumiko had seen that day.

But still, there was something different about the way Kyouko and Tsuruga spoke to one another. Something that wasn't there when Kyouko had talked earlier with Igami-san, Le'Moire, Takarada and even Kotonami. Fumiko couldn't put her finger on it, but…

"Ah!" Kyouko exclaimed suddenly, making both Tsuruga and Fumiko jolt in surprise. "I almost forgot- Tsuruga-san, did you hear that Maria-chan's going on her first date this weekend?"

"Ah, yes. I think the President mentioned something about that…" Tsuruga mused.

"It's so exciting!" Kyouko giggled, standing up to retrieve the tea kettle when it started to whistle. "She asked me to help her pick out an outfit. I'm not sure why- someone with such a cute sense of style like her doesn't really need help from a person like me- but I told her I'd help her any way that I can and she got really happy."

"Maria-chan's always happy to spend time with her beloved 'Onee-sama' Mogami-san…" Tsuruga chuckled softly as Kyouko began expertly pouring the tea. "I, on the other hand… It's rather tragic, but I feel as if I've been replaced in Maria-chan's heart."

"Oh come on, now!" Kyouko laughed outright at Tsuruga's words and the forlorn sigh that accompanied them. "You really think a middle school boy can compete with you, Tsuruga-san?"

"Maria-chan obviously does." Tsuruga pointed out, making Kyouko dissolve into laugher. As she watched their banter, something finally occurred to Fumiko, making her gasp in revelation.

"Oh, is Maria-chan the little girl from the pictures?" The brunette wondered out loud, her eyes flitting back to the candid shots she'd been admiring before Tsuruga Ren showed up. Turning back to the actors, Fumiko froze when she realized that both of them had also turned their attention back to her as well.

"Ah, yes actually, Watanabi-san." Kyouko said, sounding a bit flustered about something. "Maria-chan is the granddaughter of Shachou-san. She's in middle school right now, and is so cute and smart!"

"I-I'm sorry for butting in like that it's just… you two looked so close in those pictures."

"Maria-chan looks up to Mogami-san as a sister, Watanabi-san." Tsuruga explained to the girl kindly as Kyouko flushed cutely at his words. "They've always been close, since they day they met. Especially after Maria-chan found out Mogami-san's birthday is the day after hers."

"Oh! I… I see…" Fumiko said, feeling shy again.

"You have a little brother yourself, don't you, Watanabi-san?" Kyouko mused as she brought the tea over and served her guests graciously.

"Yes… You remember that?" Fumiko asked, more than a little surprised. She and Kyouko hadn't been close in high school after all, so for the starlet to remember such an odd thing about her…

"He came to school during one of our Cultural Festivals, and I spoke to him for a bit." Kyouko responded with a smile. "He even helped me clean up after some rowdy boys who made a mess of our class's food stand. I thought that was really sweet of him, so that's why I remember." Faintly, Fumiko could recall the Cultural Festival Kyouko was referring to. It was one they had in year two, where their class had decided to do a sweets stand and put Mogami in charge. The decision had been an easy one since it had the double benefit of using Mogami's extraordinary skills as a chef to win them first prize in the Festival AND kept Mogami busy and away from Fuwa-san so that the other girls had a chance at catching his eye.

The second part of the plan turned out to be a flop though, since Fuwa-san had spent most of the Festival hanging out with Mogami and venting angrily to the girl about his oppressive parents, but they still won the award for Best Food in the festival.

"I think Naoki was around twelve back then…" Fumiko mumbled, mostly to herself. She remembered her brother as a two-faced little snot at that age, so it would be just like him to be 'sweet' to Mogami. Probably trying to score some free cake or something… "He's in his second year at Toriyama High School now. He's hoping to become a novelist once he's done with school."

"Really?" Kyouko looked floored at this fact. "But… He was so little the last time I saw him! Wow, now I feel old…"

"It's been five years now, Mogami-san." Fumiko reminded the girl, smiling. "A lot has changed since you and Fuwa-san left for Tokyo." As soon as those words left Fumiko's lips, there was an almost tangible change in the atmosphere that told the brunette she had just said the wrong thing. It didn't help that a cold, blank expression had suddenly replaced the pleasant smile that Kyouko had been wearing up until that point, as if Fumiko had just uttered the dirtiest word in the world. Even Tsuruga reacted to her words, his hand suddenly pausing on its way to lift his cup from the table, his expression hidden by the shadows and the angle of his face, but his demeanor suggesting that he was just as displeased as Kyouko.

_What did I say? __**What did I say?**_ Fumiko thought frantically, going over the conversation again in her head to figure out how she'd offended the two superstars she was dining with.

"A lot does change in five years, I suppose." Kyouko said quietly at last, baffling Fumiko further with the sudden tension that had fallen over the table.

"Ah, Mogami-san, I almost forgot… I ran into Amamiya-san today, after shooting some scenes for _Beautiful Death_. She had a present for you from the filming she did in Rome. I promised her I'd bring it to you, but it completely slipped my mind until now. Do you mind heading over to my room to get it? Amamiya-san said it was something personal, so I felt it wasn't right for me to look at it, and since Watanabi-san is here…"

"Oh, I understand, Tsuruga-san!" Kyouko said quickly, jumping to her feet. "I'll go get it right now. Please excuse me, I'll be right back!" and with that, the copper-haired actress immediately set off to her sempai's apartment. The front door had barely closed behind her before Tsuruga turned his attention to the brunette he was sitting with, a darkness swirling in his eyes that took the breath right out of the poor, unprepared girl it was directed at.

"Now then, would you mind telling me what's going on, Watanabi-san?" The actor asked bluntly.

And just like that, Fumiko felt her blood ran cold.

* * *

_Oh dear gods, I've never attracted this much attention before in my life. _Fumiko thought, her face burning as she walked through the train terminal. The feeling of everyone's eyes in her general direction was really, really creepy, and she was sure she saw more than one person snap a picture with their phone. The only thing that was keeping Fumiko from hyperventilating was the knowledge that almost none of that attention was actually directed at her. Rather, the vast majority of it was aimed at the copper haired woman walking gracefully at her side donned in a flowing white top, faded and fayed black denim shorts and silver gladiator heels. Ever the professional, Kyouko didn't seem to even bat an eyelash at the recognition she was getting, save for smiling sweetly at those brave enough to call out to her.

Fumiko, on the other hand, was suddenly very grateful for the seven foot tall muscle man walking behind them. Something told her that was the one thing that was keeping them from getting mobbed by Kyouko's fans.

"It's too bad that you couldn't stay longer, Watanabi-san." Kyouko commented offhandedly, making Fumiko practically jump out of her skin. "I'd really like to catch up more on how everyone's doing back in Kyoto. It feels like we barely got a chance to talk, since I was running all over the place for work. And you were so quiet during dinner last night…"

"Oh, I was just tired, Mogami-san." Fumiko said hastily with a weak laugh. In reality though, sleep was the last thing on the girl's mind during her stay in the starlet's home. She was just too terrified after her conversation with Tsuruga Ren to dare and open her mouth in front of either talents for the entire night. "…B-besides, it looked like you and Tsuruga-san really wanted to talk to one another one-on-one, so…"

Behind the girls, Kyouko's manager stopped dead in his tracks.

"Tsuruga came over last night? _Again?_" Shin said, his lips thinning in evident irritation. "Kyouko-san…"

"We've talked about this before, Shin-chan." Kyouko sighed. "As his friend and kouhai, I want to make sure that Tsuruga-san gets at least _one_ decent meal a day."

"It's not that hard to order takeout." Shin reminded the girl sharply, glaring back at the flat look the young starlet gave him at that suggestion. "You know I don't trust that man, Kyouko-san. He's dangerous." Before yesterday, Fumiko would have broken down laughing at the seven foot mountain of terror that made up Igami Shin calling a charming actor like Tsuruga Ren 'dangerous' on any level. Now, she wholeheartedly agreed with the man.

"Tsuruga-san would never do anything to hurt me, Shin-chan." Kyouko insisted, a hint of irritation entering her voice. "He's been taking care of me for years now, and has shown me more kindness and support than anyone. Even as the Demon Lord or the Night Emperor, he's never done anything to shake the trust I have in him."

…Demon Lord? _Night Emperor_? Did Fumiko even _want_ to know?

"He's hiding things." Shin said firmly, obviously refusing to let the subject die.

"Most people in this business are, Shin-chan." Kyouko said with a jaded sort of sigh. "But that doesn't change my opinion, you know that."

"I still don't like him being over at your place unsupervised." Shin grumbled. "It's not proper and people might get the wrong idea."

"I live in a private mansion with top security, and other then Tsuruga-san the only people on my floor are a retired soccer player who keeps to himself, a boxer who isn't even home nine nights out of ten and a business tycoon and his family who understand the situation and don't judge me or Tsuruga-san for it." Kyouko pointed out flatly. "Who exactly is there to 'get the wrong idea'?"

Shin's eyebrow kicked up as he turned an assessing eye to Fumiko.

"I-I won't breathe a word to anyone! I swear!" Fumiko promised hastily, her words barely more than a squeak. No way was she going to risk angering either Shin or Tsuruga….

"Even if she did, it's not like there's a story there." Kyouko reminded Shin. "He came over, we ate, we talked, he left. Not exactly the most exciting exposé for a tabloid, don't you think?"

"They can still make it seem less innocent then it is, Kyouko-san." Shin sighed before reluctantly letting the subject go. "…But I guess you're right. You and Tsuruga have already been reported as having a close friendship, so sharing dinner together isn't going to cause some huge scandal. But please be more mindful in the future, Kyouko-san. If not for the sake of your own career, then for Tsuruga's. I don't need you blaming yourself if he gets caught up in something again…"

"Ye~s, Shin-chan." Kyouko promised with a giggle, flashing the man an exasperated smile before grinning widely at Fumiko again when the platform for her train loomed into view. "At any rate, we better get going if we're going to make it to this morning's shoot for _Sweet Sin_. I'll get in touch with you when I come to Kyoto, Watanabi-san. Please take care of yourself until then."

"Yes, you too, Mogami-san." Fumiko responded in turn. "Thank you for all the kindness you showed me last night. I…" Fumiko swallowed painfully as her throat constricted. "T-thank you."

"Don't mention it, Watanabi-san." Kyouko said brightly, waving off the other girl's gratitude. "I'll see you again before the reunion, alright?"

"…I… y-yes…" Fumiko said, her stomach churning with guilt as she watched Kyouko and her manager hurry away to make it to their movie shoot.

Gods, she was _such_ a miserable coward!

Sighing heavily, Fumiko fell onto a nearby bench, burying her face into her hands. What kind of mess had she gotten herself into? All she was supposed to do was secure Fuwa-san's RSVP for the reunion, and now…

Before Fumiko's mental lament could continue any further, a shrill ringing noise sounded from her pocket, jolting her out of her thoughts. Fumbling for a moment, Fumiko pulled her phone out, eyebrows furrowing together as the ID flashed the words 'Restricted Number.' Frowning, Fumiko rejected the call and was in the midst of replacing her phone in her pocket when it started ringing again. Scowling slightly at the persistence of her mystery caller, Fumiko accepted the call.

"Hel-?"

"_You gotta lot of nerve rejecting my call, you know." _A familiar voice snapped before she could finish the greeting, making Fumiko's eyes widen.

"F-Fuwa-san?" the brunette flustered, "H-how did you get my phone number?"

"_Doesn't matter. Is Kyouko on board for the reunion?" _Shou demanded.

"Um… Yes, I think so…" Fumiko said uncertainly.

"_You think so?"_ Shou's confusion was evident in his voice. _"You mean, you don't know? Sabara said that you were gonna spend the night at Kyouko's place, and she's got some movie thing this morning so she's probably already ditched you by now, so how do you not know for sure if she's coming or not?"_

"Well…" Fumiko hesitated for a moment, guilt, fear and desperation warring together as she weighed her options. If she told him everything that happened last night, he might call off the whole thing and not come to the reunion, which would get her killed by Shou's angry fangirls back in Kyoto. On the other hand, if she didn't say anything and Tsuruga carried through with his treat, then chances were pretty good Shou would come home to a Kyouko-less Kyoto, which would get her into serious trouble with the musician.

…In the end, Fumiko's desire to live outweighed the risks of not divulging the whole truth to the rocker.

"She said that she'll come. She was just sort of hesitant about it, since she was afraid you were coming too." Fumiko explained to Shou, who snorted in response.

"_Figures…"_ He muttered under his breath before addressing Fumiko again_. "Alright, great. Make sure she doesn't get suspicious before the reunion. Otherwise she'll turn tail and run and everything'll be a waste."_

"Y-yes… I understand…" Fumiko said, biting her lip. "Um… Fuwa-san… If you don't mind me asking… How is Tsuruga Ren connected to you and Mogami-san?" Even over the phone, Fumiko could feel the temperature drop into the subartic range as soon as the actor's name left her lips.

"_And what,"_ The musician said in a voice so deadly that Fumiko immediately regretted the question she'd just asked. _"Does that stupid cocky pretty boy have to do with _ANYTHING_?"_

"N-n-nothing!" Fumiko squeaked out. "I just… I saw a picture of him in Mogami-san's apartment and wanted to ask! It's nothing, never mind!"

"_That I don't believe for a second."_ Shou said irritably, still upset over the fact that Tsuruga's name entered the conversation at all. _"Look whatever that jerk might say or think, Kyouko is none of his goddamn business. He's nothing to her compared to my importance in her life, and nothing's ever going to change that. Not if I can help it."_

"…I… I understand." Fumiko said quietly. "I'll get things ready for when you and Mogami-san come back to Kyoto."

"_I'll call before I leave Tokyo to make sure she's there."_ Shou informed Fumiko, making her eyes widen in horror. _"Don't let her catch on to anything before then. Later."_ And, with a sharp click, Fumiko was left with the sound of a dial tone as her life spiraled out of control.

_T-this is bad…_ The brunette realized, dread flooding her entire being. _This is really,_ REALLY _bad._

Somehow, she had gotten caught up in the drama of someone else's life, and now there was no way out. If Shou didn't come, the other girls in Kyoto would murder her outright. If Kyouko didn't come, then Shou wouldn't set foot in the reunion, and now with Tsuruga in the picture…

_How do I get out of this?_ Fumiko moaned mentally, trying to regain control over the situation. Although now, she was starting to suspect that she never had any control over it to begin with.

Looking back in the direction Kyouko had disappeared in, Fumiko felt her guts twist uncomfortably again in guilt.

…_She'll probably decide not to come after speaking to Tsuruga-san, anyways. Especially since she really didn't want to take time off to go in the first place._ Fumiko rationalized, unknowing of the sadness that was creeping into her eyes at that thought. _It's probably for the best if he's the one who tells her. She'll never forgive me again after the truth comes out, after all…_ Fumiko laughed weakly at that thought with very little humor as she remembered some of Kyouko's earliest acting roles, like Mio and Natsu. _…She… she won't speak to me again after this, and I'll never see her again, so… it's better to just go along with the plan this way. At least like this, everyone back home won't hate me too._

Sighing heavily, Fumiko stood and obediently boarded her train when the doors slid open to allow people on, troubled thoughts still rolling around in her head as she claimed an empty seat. Frowning to herself, she recalled Shou's angry words over the phone when she had brought up Tsuruga's name. Looking back at the conversation she'd had with him last night after Kyouko left them alone though, the brunette had a hard time believing that the handsome actor was truly unconnected in the drama surrounding Kyouko and Shou. Not when his words and actions clearly implied otherwise…

Shaking her head, Fumiko pulled out her music player and plugged her ears with the white earbuds, scrolling through her songs until she came across one of her favorites, a Shou song that had been released years ago and had been one of the first to rocket him into superstardom. Closing her eyes, Fumiko tried to let the lyrics of _Lying to Love You_ clear all thoughts of Kyouko and Tsuruga from her mind.

It didn't work. Almost as soon as Fumiko's eyes shut, memories of her talk with Tsuruga assaulted her violently, forcing her to relive it yet again.

"_Now then, would you mind telling me what's going on, Watanabi-san?"_

"_Wh… What?" Fumiko croaked out, eyes wide as Tsuruga assessed her with unreadable brown eyes._

"_Your story, about coming here to invite Mogami-san to your reunion." Tsuruga explained, frowning at the girl. "It seemed a bit… off to me. It's obvious that you and Mogami-san weren't particularly close in school, so why would you take the time and come all this distance to invite her personally? Wouldn't mailing her an invitation suffice?"_

"_I-I was pretty mean to Mogami-san when we were kids, so I… I wanted to apologize to her for that, Tsuruga-san…" Fumiko explained weakly, suddenly feeling like she was in a very dangerous situation. "I feel bad for what I did back then."_

"_Do you?" Tsuruga asked, his eyes narrowing and his gaze cutting through Fumiko like a knife. "I have a hard time believing that, Watanabi-san."_

"_Wh-what?" Fumiko said, her eyes going wide at the actor's oddly cold attitude. He was always so kind and polite when he was on TV…_

"_If you truly felt bad about what you've done to Mogami-san, then it's not very likely that you'd be here right now." Tsuruga stated coolly. "Would someone who feels honest regret for their past actions really impose themselves on the person that they hurt so badly in such a thoughtless manner?" Fumiko froze, trapped by the man's logic. If apologizing to Kyouko had been her true objective, then her guilt would have kept her from accepting the actress's offer to open her home to her, even after Kyouko insisted. It was so true, and yet at the same time something most people would overlook. Not one other person had thought to point this out the whole day._

_Clearly, Tsuruga Ren had much more than just talent and good looks going for him._

_Terrified and powerless, Fumiko said nothing to the actor's accusation. She wanted desperately to tear her eyes away from Tsuruga, to think of something to excuse her presence there, but something in his dark gaze spared her to the spot. Lying would have been useless, even if she could think up a half way decent one this man would see through it in an instant._

"_I can only think of two reasons for you to blatantly lie to Mogami-san and take advantage of her kindness in such a way." Tsuruga said calmly, making Fumiko wince in pain at his words despite the bland tone they were delivered in. "One is that you intended to make her believe you were sorry to take advantage of her celebrity and use her for your own means. That's not very likely though, since you seem a little overwhelmed by what you've seen and done today. Most women who do that would be excited over those things, and try to push the envelope to see how much they can get away with as Mogami-san's old classmate. _

"_But the other possibility…" Stapling his fingers together, Tsuruga's gaze became something truly frightening as he continued. "…The other possibility is that someone else sent you to here to make sure Mogami-san attended this reunion. Someone who couldn't ask her for themselves… And if it's someone who is connected to Mogami-san past, there can only be one person."_

Everything after that is gonna have to be up to you, though. Bringing my name into things will probably just get you thrown out.

Shoot shoot shoot shoot _SHOOT! NOW she remembered Fuwa-san's words about not mentioning him in front of Kyouko? NOW, when the biggest actor in Japan was looking at her like he was channeling Yakuza Bosses and Serial Killers?_

_Before Fumiko could say anything though, Kyouko reentered the apartment with an embarrassed smile on her face and an opened package clutched in her arms. Almost instantly, the oppressive air around Tsuruga disappeared._

"_I'm sorry! It took me longer to find your bag than usual, Tsuruga-san. You had it in your room instead of by the door where you usually keep it."_

"_Ah, I'm sorry, I must've brought it in there by mistake." Tsuruga said, smiling brightly at Kyouko, who gave him a surprised look in response._

"…_Ts-Tsuruga-san… Are you angry…?" Kyouko asked, sounding confused and a little wary._

"_Hm? Angry? What makes you think that, Mogami-san?" The bright smile intensified, and Kyouko shrank back a bit, an alarmed look on her face._

"_N-no reason…" The actress said weakly. "I'll… um… check on our dinner now. I'll be back in a moment."_

Wait! Don't leave me here with him! _Fumiko wailed mentally as Kyouko hastily made her way over to the kitchen. True, the kitchen was visible from where she and Tsuruga were, but Kyouko would have her back to them, and Fumiko was all out desperate for the actress's protection at that moment._

"_I don't know what he's planning now, Watanabi-san." Tsuruga said quietly enough to keep from catching Kyouko's attention. "But whatever his scheme is, I can promise you that it's something Mogami-san doesn't need him putting her through. I won't let him use Mogami-san as he pleases anymore, Watanabi-san, and I promise you that if Fuwa shows the slightest hint of disturbing Mogami-san at this reunion, I'll do everything in my power to protect her. _

"_I am not someone you want for an enemy, Watanabi-san, so choose your actions wisely from this point onward…"_

* * *

**WoM-** _Ren is terrifying._

_I'm not saying that as a joke, or in the usual way fangirls mean with the Gentlemanly Smile and the Demon Lord and all that, I mean it as a writer. I had meant for this chapter to be different when I set out to write it, lighter, cuter with more Ren/Kyouko in it, but the Ren took over and decided that he wanted to talk to Fumiko alone. I went along with it, since it seemed more natural for the character then just ignoring her and the implications of her presence, and thus kept writing. Then Ren confronted Fumiko about how her actions contradicted her words and I stopped dead._

_I'm writing the story. I created Fumiko. I even have some control over Ren at the moment (Or so I thought) but even I didn't realize that Fumiko probably wouldn't have accepted Kyouko's invitation if she really felt bad about the bullying thing until Ren pointed it out. It was one of the freakiest things that's ever happened to me as a writer, and suddenly I understood only too well how Kyouko and Momose felt at being forced to act by Ren._

_So yeah, Ren = SCARY! 'whimpers pitifully'_

_The next chapter will wrap up the Tokyo Part of this story and start up the Kyoto Part. Things aren't going to be easy for Kyouko, Fumiko, Shou OR Ren, I can promise you that. Please continue to give me feedback for this story, and thank you again for all the love and support you've shown me! I promise I won't make you wait as long for the next installment of this story…_

* * *

**My Sincerest and Most Heartfelt Thanks To;**

_100, CrisscrossAnime, awalkingparadox, bbhelen3162, thats absurd.I LOVE IT, bloodmoon13, buloy, ChokoStyle, FEARMEfrancis, TheGrownUpRainbowBrite, d00fus, 7th Hells Angel, skepsis66, saizen24, Faenea, Yuki Niwa, Marie Ravenclaw, Lynnae Clark, Velveteenrabbit, Shadow Girl, cutsodeep, smilingspaz, deletedaccount3, Darkbloodz, SweetNothings528, angela, lamian, J Luc Pitard, Chibi Tsuki, suppusan, X-Rae, Shiroyuki76, Sakura, Squee, stice73, perfect beauty, kyoko minion, Ninja Shen, Arcellant, Jhay, Papierstern, himesama, ...way, Lady of the Hunt, bbhelen3162, Stunning Sunset, animelava, pheonixlady7, no name, Midori Ookami, Gracklepops, PersonalLegend, Laviii, piggycat350, anjell, NybCR, Copper Clouds, Breething Blue, Boston, M., 1sunfun, rjifblue, rosebudmelissa, Lilly, BlurredFate, Ningen Demonai, Janneia, nix13, Litschi, Phendragon, LarkasBlessing122291, leavesfallingup, kuro mirai, Arika Ito, RAGA, doodi, Me, Silverangel906, mariposa miko, sweetXsunshine, , Crazy Sardines, theYellowDello, Princess Ren, sillyrabbitp, limabeangreedbean, lescribble, Anonymous, Elfhunter, IntelligentAirhead, MLCW, angeldevil11, YueLilianPotter, ELinkA, Darkbloodz, Iris Anthe, SaturnDrops459, librarycat9_


	5. Unbreakable Chains

**WoM-** _There, see? I told you guys I'd get to you quicker this time! XD This chapter was written mostly under the high I got after reading chapter 181, hence why it came out so quickly compared to my last one. I was considering on holding off on posting it a bit longer, just in case I get you guys too excited and I wouldn't be able to get the next one out as fast, but after thinking about it I figured that a fast update could be considered penance for taking so long with chapter 4. With that said, Enjoy~!_

* * *

**Unbreakable Chains**

As she entered the modest family restaurant, Fumiko couldn't squash out the feeling of discomfort swirling around in her stomach as she reluctantly made her way to the table that already had four other women and one guy sitting at it. For the first time in the past few days, though, this feeling didn't have anything to do with Mogami, Fuwa or Tsuruga. Rather, the person to blame for Fumiko's unrest was the pretty, shapely woman with long, wavy dark red hair that sat in the middle of the booth casually sipping her drink and ignoring the approaching brunette in favor of reviewing the list in front of her.

Even after all these years, Ayazami Kohana could still make her feel lower than the dirt on her shoes…

"Sorry I'm late." Fumiko apologized as she slipped into the open seat, habitually tucking her purse behind her. "I was held up after I left the train station."

"Never mind that." Kohana's best friend, Tsukari Michiko, huffed impatiently from the redhead's side. The short girl waved off Fumiko's explanation with the same aggravation all the other girls held in their expression. Clearly, they were still bitter Fumiko won the lottery… "Everything's set with Fuwa-kun now, right?"

"Y-yes." Fumiko confirmed hastily, playing with the hem of her skirt as she tried to think of the best way to explain everything to her friends. "Fuwa-san says that he'll come, but he had a condition."

"YES!" The blonde to Fumiko's left, a rather pushy girl named Satsunawa Kiri, squealed as she hugged Chihoro Naoko, ignoring the glare that the sole male at the table sent them for their behavior.

"Knock it off before you cause a scene." Ichiryuko Daisuke snapped irritably before turning his attention back to Fumiko. "Great, so Mr. Big Shot's gonna grace us with his appearance after five years. Now what's the catch?" Fumiko winced. Now for the part she wasn't looking forward to…

"He wanted us to invite Mogami Kyoko as well, and insisted that we not to tell her that he would be coming." Fumiko explained tentatively.

Dead silence fell over the table for a full minute after Fumiko's explanation.

"Mogami?" Naoko said with a sneer as she flipped her light brown curls over her shoulder. "He wants us to find Mogami? What for?"

"That doesn't make sense, Mogami left with Fuwa-kun, right?" Michiko pointed out, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Why would he need us to find her? Were they still together in Tokyo?"

"Of course not!" Kiri snapped, sounding morally offended. "You really think that Shou-kun would put up with a clingy brat like Mogami any longer then he had to? I still think that she followed him to Tokyo without him knowing. It'd be just like her, I always figured her for the stalker type."

"If she stalked him all the way to Tokyo, then why would he want us to find her now?" Daisuke demanded flatly, earning him a look that could peel paint from Kiri.

"Did you find her?" Kohana asked Fumiko, ignoring the chaos and complaints of the others.

"Um, yes…" Fumiko confirmed.

"And she's free to come too, right?" Kohana pressed impatiently.

"Yes, but you should know that-!"

"Then that's that." Kohana said firmly, eyeing the others coolly. "It doesn't really matter why Shou-kun wants Mogami at the reunion if it means that he'll come. Or can it be that you girls are afraid you can't even compare to the flat-chested freak?"

"No way, Kohana-chan." Naoko exclaimed with a giggle. "That boring little nobody? Please!"

"But Mogami-!"

"I don't _care_ about Mogami, Fumiko." Kohana said, leveling a look at Fumiko. "If Shou-kun is really coming, then that's all that matters. And if he doesn't come, you're going to be the one to take the fall. Understand?"

Too frightened to speak, Fumiko just nodded.

_Mogami-san probably won't come, after Tsuruga-san tells her about Fuwa-san._ Fumiko reminded herself, picking at her skirt nervously. _So it doesn't matter if I tell them about her or not. They wouldn't believe it, anyways. I mean, I was right there and I still can't believe it!_

"And with that out of the way, how about we start focusing on other things, Ayazami? Like the fact that we're over budget 40 thousand yen and we still don't have a DJ?" Daisuke spoke up irritably. "Tomoya told me he saw you buying designer dresses with the money we're supposed to be using to pay for this party last weekend you know, and I'm supposed to-!"

"Bite your tongue and do your job." Kohana said curtly. "That's exactly what you're supposed to do. Since most of the money for our funds was donated in part due to my efforts, it's only right that I use a little on myself. But if you still disagree, then I can always talk to Papa about reinstating his plans to tear down this shoddy little restaurant and make room for something with a little more class. That ought to get us the money to make up for it, don't you think?" Kohana smirked triumphantly as Daisuke glared back at her, his hand clenching for a moment at the none-too-subtle threat to his family's business before he sagged against his chair with a look of defeat.

"…I'll find a way to make up the difference." Daisuke promised flatly, although anger still colored his words ever so slightly.

"Perfect." Kohana said cheerfully, standing up. "Then I'll start looking into decorations. Come on girls, we've got some shopping to do." Obediently, Fumiko and the other girls followed Kohana out of the store, too nervous to deny the girl when she got into one of her moods and started throwing her father's power around. No one was really brave enough to fight Ayazami Ryoto, the man who owned almost all of Kyoto, and Kohana knew it and wasn't afraid to use that to her advantage. Glancing back, Fumiko spared an apologetic look to Daisuke, who was still sitting in his chair, but her former class president didn't even notice, too busy glaring holes into the tablecloth to even glance in her direction.

Fumiko did feel bad for the boy, but really it was to be expected. Did he honestly think he could go up against Kohana and win? Kohana always got what she wanted, no matter what it took. In fact, the only thing to ever escape her clutches was Fuwa Shou, the handsome, talented classmate who ignored her attempts to flirt with him and only hung out with Mogami Kyoko. This was something she intended to rectify at the reunion though, and all the girls knew it.

…Somehow, this knowledge didn't make Fumiko feel any better about what was to come…

* * *

Amamiya Chiori was very, very impressed.

Normally, she was an actress who hated variety shows and avoided them at all costs. Especially variety shows that made celebrities act like morons to get a cheap laugh from the audience, which she felt was tacky and belittling. The only thing she felt she had to look forward to in Bridge Rock was seeing Kyouko-chan again, having gone without seeing her fellow former LoveMe Member for almost a month due to various filming projects on both of their parts, including a brief stint overseas so that Chiori could film a few scenes for her latest movie.

_I should have known better, since it's Kyouko-chan._ Chiori thought as she followed the girl off of Bridge Rock's stage after yet another mind blowing performance from the other actress, sighing loudly enough to catch her taller friend's attention even over the noise of the crew putting props away now that the show had finished filming. When Kyouko shot her a curious look at the sound, Chiori schooled her face into the most annoyed expression she could manage.

"When was the last time I told you that you're freakishly good as an actress?" Chiori asked flatly as she fell into step beside her friend, heading to the dressing room that Chiori had been given in exchange for coming that night. Kyouko made a show of thinking the question through, and even resorted to counting out on her fingers after a moment.

"About four weeks ago, I think." The other girl finally answered. "We're not due for our usual argument for another two weeks now, Chiori-chan."

"Well I'm having it early." Chiori huffed. "Honestly, Kyouko-chan, its times like this that make me wish it was possible to hate you."

"But then who would you call at two thirty in the morning when you've accidentally torn an 800 thousand yen dress that you need to model in in five hours?" Kyouko shot back teasingly.

"I _still_ maintain that the dress ripped itself." Chiori grumbled, unable to stop the blush from rising to her cheeks as Kyouko laughed. "I just happened to be in the room at the time. And yeah, I guess you're right about that. If I call Kanae-chan and ask her for help, she'd probably murder me over the phone."

"Honestly, that still wouldn't be as bad as _The Black Valentine Incident_." Kyouko snickered as Chiori made a face as she opened the door to her dressing room and allowed the other actress in. "Poor Sawara-san still cries whenever someone brings that up."

"Takarada-shachou needs to give that man a raise." Chiori decided, shaking her head in sympathy. "I don't envy his position. The LoveMe Section is even worse now than it was when we were members." Shooting Kyouko a look, Chiori couldn't help but smirk. "…Although I don't think there could ever be a member who can surpass you on… _originality_, shall we say?"

"Really funny, Chiori-chan." Kyouko said darkly, making the other girl giggle as she gathered her things. Chiori was grateful that her manager was thoughtful enough to give her a minute alone with Kyouko, since it really had been forever since the two of them could talk to one another like this. As much as she loved being a fully accomplished actress now, Chiori could help but admit- if even only to herself- that she missed her LoveMe days a little bit.

Hanging out with Kyouko and Kanae had never been boring, and her fellow LoveMe girls were some of the very first actresses that she acknowledged as being hardworking and talented enough to deserve all the glory they got and then some. She would never begrudge either girls for their success knowing how much blood, sweat and tears the other two had poured into their acting. And what's more, they both made her _want_ to act again, so that she could stand alongside them and hold her head up high. For that reason alone, she always looked forward to every opportunity she got to work with LoveMe # 1 and LoveMe # 2.

"Besides," Kyouko continued with a wounded sniff. "I'd like to think that my _originality_ has served me well in this industry."

"We'd be hard pressed to argue with you on that, Kyouko-chan." Chiori agreed with a chuckle as she fell into the chair in front of the lighted mirror. "But back to the LoveMe Section… what's this I hear about you letting one of the new members stay in your home?"

"You know about Keiko-chan?" Kyouko said, looking faintly surprised as sat herself down on the bench against the wall and tucked her feet underneath her. _Ever the little Miss Grace-and-Manners…_ Chiori thought in affectionate annoyance. Kyouko always made everyone around her look bad when it came to things like that, though it was completely unintentional on her part. "How'd you hear about that?"

"Kanae-chan." Chiori said, as if it explained everything. Which, by the sheepish smile Kyouko sent her, it probably did.

"Ah, Moko-san thinks it's stupid of me to get involved…" Kyouko said, rubbing her head self-consciously. "But… I can sort of sympathize with Keiko-chan's situation. She's not a bad girl, so I think we'll be alright."

"Keiko… She's the one with the crappy parents, right?" Chiori mused. "Her father's some kind of business man and her mother just left her to be raised by the servants up until a couple months ago. Then they tried to force her into some sort of arranged marriage, so she left home to be an actress instead?"

"Basically." Kyouko sighed. A part of her wondered how her friend got such information, which only she, Keiko and the President were supposed to know, before she just shrugged it off. Chiori was always unnaturally shrewd, after all… "She came to LME because the other companies all refused to hire her after being paid off by her father, and since the president isn't the type to be bought he took her in so she could fulfill her dream. But because of her parents, she ended up becoming LoveMe # 14. Just recently, her father bought out the apartment she's staying in and kicked her out onto the streets, so she has no place to go. That's why I offered to house her until she makes enough to stand on her own two feet."

"That's just like you, Kyouko-chan." Chiori said, bemused. "Well, if they're anything like us, then I suppose a LoveMe has enough to worry about without adding housing to the list, too. Is it true that Takarada-shachou has that gaudy song playing in the LoveMe lounge now?"

"On infinite loop." Kyouko said, sighing heavily as Chiori winced in sympathy for the current LoveMe Members. "Moko-san is sure that it has some sort of subliminal mind control message in it and that the president is trying to brainwash every new member into joining a Love Cult."

"I wouldn't be surprised if that was true." Chiori admitted with a grin. "No one will ever be able to scare me as much as that man does…"

"Shachou-san's not that bad." Kyouko defended the man automatically, though she was fighting a smile as she did so. "He'd be indefinitely scarier if he wasn't as obsessed with love as he is."

"No arguing with that." Chiori said, shivering slightly at the thought of a less honorable man with Takarada Lory's brains, power and money. "The president aside though, what's this I hear about a class reunion in Kyoto? I thought you hated all your classmates back there…"

"You and Moko-san talked about that too?" Kyouko said, eyebrow kicking up.

"No, that I heard about from Director Takane." Kyouko frowned for a moment, trying to think if she even _knew_ a Director Takane. She was certain she never worked under a man by that name, so how on earth would he know about her reunion? As if reading her mind, Chiori smirked playfully at the other actress. "Gossip isn't just for high school girls and housewives, you know. Or have you already forgotten the rumors about you and Tsuruga that made the headlines of every tabloid in Japan a few years back?"

"Oh god, don't remind me." Kyouko moaned, already feeling her face heating up at the mention of _that_ particular memory.

"I'm surprised that got as much attention as it did, to be honest. I mean, anyone can tell that you-!"

"_I said DON'T REMIND ME!"_ Kyouko wailed, burying her now beet red face into her hands. Chiori giggled to herself. Kyouko always had the best reactions, if you know which buttons to push… "…but to answer your question yes, I'm going back to Kyoto for a while. The president and Shin-chan feel that I need a break, and the party's taking place at a time when I won't be terribly busy, so it's good for everyone involved."

"Are you sure that spending an evening trapped in a hotel with people who used to make your school life miserable is really the best way to take a break?" Chiori asked, a little baffled.

"I'm sure they're not that bad anymore, Chiori-chan." Kyouko said, a smile working its way to her lips. "I mean, we're all adults now, so I think it's safe to assume they've outgrown the desire to hide my indoor shoes or throw my lunch in the trash."

"You just _say_ that because you like to think the best of everyone." Chiori accused the girl before sighing. "…But I guess I can't stop you, if you made up your mind about it. You know I'm just a phone call away if things go sour, right? And Kanae-chan would never admit it, but if you even hint that one of those people is giving you a hard time, she'll catch the fastest ride to Kyoto and have a million ways to make them suffer before she even arrives." Hearing the open concern in Chiori's tone despite the joking way she delivered herself, Kyouko couldn't help the beautiful smile that made its way to her face, a warm feeling she had tried to close herself off from for so long taking root in her chest.

_I have the greatest friends in the world._ Kyouko decided- not for the first time and far from that last- as she smiled at Chiori.

"I'll hold you to that, Chiori-chan." Kyouko said lightly. "Oh, and before I forget! I wanted to thank you for the bracelet you got me! It really is beautiful, and it matches Princess Rosa really well! What kind of stone is it?"

"…Bracelet?" Chiori repeated blankly. "What are you talking about?"

"The bracelet you got me from your trip to Italy." Kyouko reminded the girl, rolling up her sleeve to show her friend the lovely silver jewelry she wore on her wrist, which looked as though it had been crafted by elves or fairies with the intricate design and lovely pink stones it boasted. Chiori's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"Kyouko-chan… this is _wonderful_, but… I didn't give you this." Chiori told the girl, fingering the bracelet delicately. "This sort of thing would be way out of our promised price range… is this an original DuLavachi design? Something like this would cost at least three hundred dollars over in America."

"T-th-three HUNDRED?" Kyouko said, her face paling rapidly. "That… that's twenty three thousand, six hundred yen!"

"…I'm not even going to ask how you did that off the top of your head." Chiori sighed as she dropped the other girl's wrist, deciding that it wouldn't do to mention the shipping costs and tax that would be added to the total amount. "And as much as I'd like to take credit for that, _this_ is the present I got you from Italy." Here, Chiori dug around in her bag to present the girl with a stylish silk scarf, in a shimmering shade of blue-violet that was designed so that it could also be worn like a shawl, which would look absolutely wonderful when paired off with Kyouko's coloring. Kyouko accepted it with a small gasp.

"Oh… This is amazing, Chiori-chan~!" Kyouko breathed, her eyes sparkling as she ran her fingers over the silk. "Oh, thank you! This will go so well with the summer dress that Otou-san and Mama sent me!"

"You're welcome, Kyouko-chan." Chiori said, bemused at her friend's reaction. "But… what are you going to do about that bracelet?" The reminder of her much more expensive gift made Kyouko freeze with a look on her face as if she'd just been punched in the stomach. Chiori was pretty such as to where the bracelet had come from and how it had ended up in Kyouko's possession, but seeing Kyouko work it out for herself would probably be much more entertaining than just telling her outright.

"That's right…" Kyouko murmured as she eyed her bracelet with a puzzled expression. "If you didn't give me this, then why would Tsuruga-san-!" Ah, _there_ it was. Chiori hid a grin as Kyouko's eyes widened in realization before narrowing in outrage as she leapt to her feet, bellowing out a screech that sounded more like a war cry then a sound of realization. "TSURUGA-SAN!"

_Oh, yes…_ Chiori thought, forcing herself to endure the pain of holding her laugher in until Kyouko stormed off to find her sempai's blood, lest she attract the girl's deadly fury instead. _Kyouko-chan's reactions are always the best, alright._

* * *

When he entered his home that night, Ren wasn't feeling very much more then tired, but satisfied after a long day's work. They had to shoot a few night scenes for his latest drama, which was why he wasn't getting back until this ungodly hour, but the scenes had gone well and there was even one where the camera managed to catch a shooting star in the background during the climatic kiss which had sent the director and crew into a frenzy of excitement. Ren had no doubt that that scene would make it into the final product, even if the director had to twist arms in order to get it in. But as much as Ren loved his job, he was exhausted enough to be considered dead on his feet after the day he had, and was looking forward to his dearly missed bed.

Which was why he had to cringe when he entered his apartment and found Mio waiting for him at the door.

"Tsu-Ru-Ga-Saaaaaaaaaaan…." The dark creature in front of him hissed out angrily, her fury poisoning the air around her.

_Crap._ _She found out about the bracelet._ Ren thought with a barely noticeable wince. He should've known Amamiya would rat him out. She and Kotonami took almost sadistic pleasure in watching him stumble around trying to catch their friend's attention, and offered him almost no help unless he did something that made them feel he had earned a little pity on their parts.

"Ah, Mogami-san…" he said as pleasantly as he could. "Is there a problem?"

"Chiori-chan came onto Bridge Rock today, Tsuruga-san." Kyouko explained, though it still managed to sound more like a threat than anything else in the tone she delivered in in. "And she knew nothing about the bracelet you told me you got from her."

"…Ah…" Ren struggled to keep his expression innocent under Kyouko's accusing glare, fighting back the urge to laugh. While most people would probably be intimidated by the look Kyouko was giving him, Ren just found her reactions to the things he did funny and refreshing. There were times when Kyouko could still surprise even him with the faces she could make, and he always looked forward to seeing each one.

_Even if it is almost two in the morning after a long day of shooting…_

"You tricked me again, Tsuruga-san." Kyouko accused darkly, drawing Ren back to the present. "You knew that Moko-san, Chiori-chan and I always buy each other presents when we shoot on location somewhere, and you used that to make me accept another gift from you. Another _expensive_ gift from you." Kyouko narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the man as she breathed out a frustrated sigh. "How much did the bracelet cost, anyways? Chiori-chan said it was probably over 300 dollars, but even after I found the brand she was talking about I couldn't find this bracelet specifically, so I don't know the exact price."

"I'm not sure myself, actually." Ren admitted honestly enough before delving into another lie. "It was a thank you present to me from someone I worked with overseas. I simply felt that you would appreciate it more."

In truth, the bracelet had been sent to him by his mother, who saw the design and immediately thought of the crazy-but-charming girl who she was hoping would someday marry her misplaced son. In was a one-of-a-kind design, but Julie Hizuri _knew_ people. It was almost impossible to say no to the model, so she managed to secure the bracelet for herself and sent it to Lory to give to Ren along with an oddly worded warning that if he didn't make a move soon then Julie would take legal action so that Kuon really _would_ be welcoming Kyouko into the family as a sister rather than a wife.

Wisely, Ren took the warning to heart.

_Liar._ Kyouko thought at hearing her sempai's excuse. She kept it to herself though, in no mood to deal with Ren's 'Gentlemanly Smile' as he bullied her into accepting his probably insanely expensive present. It seemed that the older actor conned Kyouko into accepting everything he gave her without any sort of thought to how it was affecting _her_. Really, the man was just too dangerous for words!

_Well not this time!_ Kyouko vowed, her competitive spirit rearing its head. _You're NOT going to win this one, Tsuruga Ren, no matter what you try to pull!_

"So a person you worked with overseas just happened to send you- a MAN- an expensive bracelet designed for a WOMAN, Tsuruga-san?" Kyouko clarified in a tone that clearly portrayed her disbelief. "Just like Princess Rosa just happened to end up in the rose you gave me for my seventeenth birthday?"

"I still stand by the legend of Queen Rosa, no matter what anyone else says." Ren maintained, once again silently cursing Kyouko's manager for explaining the truth of that particular present to the girl when Kyouko told him of her sempai's gift.

"And let's not forget the Porsche you bought me when I turned eighteen." Kyouko reminded him with a glare.

"I had just finished teaching you to drive for your role as Haruna in _Pedal to the Metal_. It would be a shame if you lost touch with those skills because you weren't using them." Ren defended himself in his sempai-knows-best voice.

"And the cooking supplies you bought me after I won that award for my role of Mio? The 40 thousand yen knife set and 115 thousand yen worth of pots and pans?"

"You end up cooking for me more often than not so it's only fair that I repay you for the meals you make." Ren said firmly.

"You know that I do that because I care about you, Tsuruga-san!" Kyouko huffed in frustration. "You don't need to repay me for something I choose to do of my own free will!"

"Then you don't need to feel that you need to repay me for wanting to show you a little of that kindness in return." Ren countered, turning away under the guise of putting his things away to hide the smile that came to his face at Kyouko's confession about caring for him. Even if it was just as a friend, at least it gave him some claim over her heart, which was why he couldn't help himself from wanting to do anything to keep himself at the forefront of her mind. Especially with Fuwa Shou trying to creep his way back into her life again.

That thought had the smile falling from Ren's face, a dark feeling pooling in his stomach as he remembered Shou's latest stunt.

Ren didn't know what Shou hoped to accomplish with this reunion scheme, but he didn't like it. The thought of Kyouko and the musician meeting up in their old city, surrounded by their old classmates and memories of the childhood they had shared together…

No, Ren didn't like it one bit.

His first instinct was to accompany her to Kyoto to keep an eye on things and protect Kyouko from Fuwa's actions before the selfish creep could hurt her anymore. Unfortunately, there was no way he could accompany her to her hometown. He'd already subtly asked Yashiro about his schedule for the three days Kyouko had taken off to attend the reunion, claiming that his car would need some work done soon and those days seemed most convenient. Yashiro probably didn't buy that, judging by how gleeful he looked after Ren asked, but after looking through Ren's schedule, he found that there was no way the work the actor had scheduled for the 22nd could be rescheduled, since he was shooting for a movie all day that day and the place they were filming at would only be available then.

Ren had tried desperately not to show how much this had disappointed him, but Yashiro still noticed and spent every free moment he had since then trying to rework Ren's schedule so that he had at least some meager shot of going to Kyoto, despite Ren's repeated reassurances that it wasn't necessary. If he couldn't make it, than he couldn't make it, and that's all there was to it. He would never be able to forgive himself if he let a personal problem interfere with Tsuruga Ren's work, and Kyouko would probably be ten times as disappointed in him if she found out he did so.

Yashiro seemed to understand this, but clearly he did not like hearing Ren say it out loud, since he kept shooting the actor looks for the rest of the day that had Ren feeling as if he'd run over his manager's cat.

Still, though going along with Kyouko to her reunion was out of the question, there was another option to protect Kyouko from Shou's plotting; If Ren could keep Kyouko in Tokyo, then the musician's scheme would fall apart before it could even start. There were any number of ways he could do it, with all the respect and adoration Kyouko had for him. He wouldn't even have to tell her about what Shou was doing, which would just get the girl thinking about Shou and cursing his wicked ways and the lows he would sink to in order to get what he wanted, which was the last thing Ren wanted her doing. The more Shou was on her mind, the more damage the musician inflicted upon the heart that she had spent years tirelessly patching over after he broke it without a second thought.

"Tsuruga-san?" Kyouko's concerned voice cut through his musings, drawing Ren's attention back to her face, with was pulled into a concerned look as she leaned forward onto the balls of her feet to leaf her tiny hand under Ren's bangs. "Is something the matter? You're not getting sick, are you?"

"No, Mogami-san. I'm fine." Ren said carefully, concentrating everything he had on pushing back the urge to grab her hand and keep it- and the girl it was attached to- close. Gods, how could she so easily read his moods, but completely miss what she did to him…? "I'm just a little tired is all. It's been a long day…"

"Oh!" Kyouko said, her eyes widening before guilt overtook her face. "I'm so sorry, Tsuruga-san! I didn't even realize- I feel so stupid now. I shouldn't be bothering you at such an ungodly hour. Sorry, I'll leave so you can get some rest!"

"It's fine, Mogami-san." Ren said as firmly as he could. He did NOT want Kyouko feeling as though she wasn't welcome in his home. "Really, I'm glad that you're here. I've wanted to speak with you about something, anyways."

"Oh? About what?" Kyouko asked, tilting her head to look up at Ren with curious gold eyes. "You could have called if you needed me for anything."

"I know, Mogami-san." Ren said, his true feeling bleeding through and making his words a touch warmer then he intended before he could tone it down. "Actually though, it's about your upcoming trip to Kyoto." He couldn't talk to her about this over the phone. If he wasn't careful, didn't watch her expressions and choose his words well, then things could end up backfiring on him. He had to get Kyouko to stay in Tokyo without alluding to Fuwa Shou.

"Really? Do you want me to pick you something up over there? I've already started making out a list of souvenirs to bring back to Tokyo. I remember a little dress shop that has clothing Moko-san will love, and there's a shop near where my old school was that sold the most beautiful paintings I've ever seen, so I was planning on getting some of those for Shachou. I'm going to pick up an omamori from the shrine I'd visit for New Years for Maria-chan, too, so if you need something, I'll be happy to bring it back for you." Ren's careful words died in his throat as he regarded the auburn haired actress with open surprise at the excitement coloring her tone.

"I thought that the president and Igami-san had to twist your arm to make you agree to attend this reunion, Mogami-san." Ren said in evident confusion. "It sounds to me like you're really looking forward to it." Kyouko blushed at Ren's observation, wringing her hands together nervously.

"Well, I was sort of dreading it at first, because I was worried that I'd go there and all I could think about was Shoutaro." Kyouko confessed, frowning for a moment over the musician's name before brightening again. "But then I started thinking about it, and I realized that I had a lot of happy memories from back in Kyoto that had nothing to do with Shou. The forest were I used to play by myself… the restaurant I studied in whenever I needed a quiet place to cram for exams… The park I'd walk through in the morning to clear my mind… the elderly man who used to give me deals on groceries when I brought him homemade dinners… all of that was there too.

"When I came to Tokyo, I was too busy taking care of Shou's needs to even think about the life I left behind. Then as an actress I was trying so hard to rediscover myself and made a point in not thinking about my past, but after talking to Watanabi-san, I started thinking that maybe it would be good for me to go back to Kyoto. Maybe that would finally give me a little closure over my past, and let me move ahead as an actress. I… I know that probably sounds strange, Tsuruga-san, but-"

"No." Ren said, his voice heavy with emotion as he fought back a wave of memories of his own childhood, of the places and people he'd forsaken in order to fulfill his dream, a pang of loss hitting him rather heavily. Really, how this girl always knew just what to say to affect him without even meaning to… "It… it doesn't sound strange at all, Mogami-san." Ren hated himself, even before his next words left his lips, but somehow he forced them out despite every selfish instinct in him that wanted to stop them. "You're right, you should go to Kyoto. Just… promise me something, will you?"

"Eh?" Kyouko said, eyebrows stitched together in confusion. Promise… but, didn't Ren want to hell her something…?

"Promise you'll come back." Ren pleaded with a smile that was warm and heartbreaking at the same time. "No matter what's waiting for you in Kyoto, swear you won't forget everything you have here as easily as you forgot those wonderful memories of Kyoto you were talking about earlier."

"I… of course, Tsuruga-san." Kyouko promised, heart pounding in her ear. There was no way Kyouko could promise anything less, with the look her sempai was giving her. Part of her wondered how Ren could ever think, even for a moment, that she could forget all the wonderful friend she'd made in Tokyo, the family she had found in LME, and her career as an actress… all of it still felt like a dream come true to Kyouko. She wouldn't leave that behind, even for all of the princesses and fairies in the world.

And then, there was Ren himself…

"Um, if that's all, then I should get going, Tsuruga-san. You need your rest." Kyouko said, edging past Ren towards the door.

"It's fine, Mogami-san. You're more than welcome to stay." Ren assured the girl, only to be rejected with the shake of a head.

"No, I should go, really. I have a taping later for a morning show, and Shin-chan will kill me if I show up with bags under my eyes. I'm sorry again for bothering you so later, Tsuruga-san."

"You're never a bother, Mogami-san." Ren chuckled, smiling at the girl as she flashed him a look of gratitude before leaving. As soon as the door closed behind Kyouko though, Ren's smile fell away as he raked a hand through his hair in frustration.

_What a mess…_ The star thought with a scoff as he made his way to his bedroom. What it was about Kyouko that brought out all these emotions, he would never know, but it seemed like no matter what he did nothing ever changed. It was killing him an inch at a time, being forced to witness again and again that Fuwa and Kyouko had an inseparable bond that refused to be severed, as if the hands of the Gods had willed the two for one another. And now… now they'd be alone together in Kyoto, the place where that bond had been the closest, and there was nothing he could do about it.

_I must be some sort of masochist or something._ Ren decided humorlessly as he undressed for bed. _That, or this is all punishment for everything I've done._ That was actually pretty likely, everything considered. Sighing heavily, Ren shook these thoughts from his mind and turned back to his task, determined to get some sleep before his next shoot started around eleven, though he already had a feeling that it would be no easy task.

* * *

As all of this was going on inside Ren's apartment, Kyouko stood outside in the hallway, her back pressed against her sempai's door as she tried to quell her heartbeat back to normal.

_Really, that man is too much._ Kyouko thought with a heavy sigh. Not for the first time, Kyouko realized what a dangerous man her sempai was for poor, unguarded women. Had it been anyone but her in there talking to him, hearing him practically beg to come back to him…

_No, __not__ him._ Kyouko reminded herself firmly. _He just wants me coming back to my job. Abandoning work to go off and play is completely unprofessional. That's what he was talking about in there._

Kyouko's inner Bo gave a self-deprecating snort at that, but she mulishly ignored it as she pushed herself away from Ren's door and made her way to her own apartment.

She had already been through that drama once with the president, right before she 'graduated' from the LoveMe Section and was deemed a fully functioning human being capable of expressing love, after all. She didn't need to stand there arguing with herself in the middle of the hallway about the feelings-she-did-NOT-have towards Japan's hottest bachelor. And a man who was already in love with another woman, at that.

Kyouko was a lot of things she wasn't proud of, but home-wrecker had never made the list up until this point, and there was no way it would now. She knew Ren had someone he felt passionately for, he'd told her about the mystery woman a few times before she gave up Bo. From the way Ren described her, she was beautiful, talented, and passionate, with a pureness about her that was rare in most modern women.

She'd led a difficult life, but still managed to create blessings for herself out of the wreckage that those she thought she could trust the most had left for her to shift through. She fought tooth and nail for everything that she had, and earned so much for her efforts, including the love of the most attractive man in Japan. The whole thing sounded as if it had come straight from a fairytale, and Kyouko could close her eyes and conjure up the image of a breathtaking woman with long blonde hair and lovely blue eyes dressed in a ball gown.

Apparently, Ren had met her when he was a child, and grew attached to her in the short time that they knew each other. He didn't recognize her when they met again, though, and she hated him at first (this was the one strike Kyouko had against the Princess. How on earth could anyone hate Tsuruga Ren?) but not too long after Ren realized who she was, their relationship started to improve and she showed a kinder, stronger side that made him fall irreversibly in love with the Princess. Since then Ren had thought of almost nothing but her, no matter where he was or what he did.

It was stupid to think that she or anyone else could ever steer Ren away from such a gentle and beautiful woman, and she refused to even embarrass herself in making the attempt. No, she would be content to keep Tsuruga Ren as her sempai and friend, and hope that he found his ultimate happiness with the faceless Princess.

If anyone deserved a happily ever after ending, it was them.

_I hope he lets me meet her someday._ Kyouko thought with a sad smile. It was rather curious, but even with all the time she spent around Ren she had never once seen the girl he spoke of. She really wanted to know the Princess for herself, if only to see if the girl was truly as wonderful as Ren insisted she was (Ren was an excellent judge of character, so she really didn't have much doubt, but anyone could be fooled when they were in love. She was Example #1 of _that_ little fact of life…).

Before Kyouko could continue her musings any longer, the soft chime from her clock informed her that it was now 2 AM, surprising the young woman as she took in her surroundings. Face flushing, the girl realized that she must've wandered back to her bedroom on autopilot while she was thinking. Really, what kind of actress dragged herself around like some mindless zombie? Moko-san would smack her if she saw that…

Shaking her head with a chuckle, Kyouko began to undress, hoping to catch at least a few hours of sleep before she had to be up at seven to make her appearance on _Mornings with Mayumi_ for an interview about _Taste of a Sigh_. In the middle of pulling off her shirt, though, she caught sight of the bracelet Ren had tricked her into accepting and froze dead when she realized that she had- once again- been duped into accepting an expensive present.

Later that day, Kyouko was forced to apologize to the business tycoon in Room 53 for the angry string of curses that followed this thought, which Kyouko blamed completely on Shou. He was the one who taught her most of those words, anyways…

* * *

**WoM-** _GOD I love writing Real!Kyouko rather than the 'Public Face' she wore in front of Fumiko. She's so crazy and fun, how can you not adore her from the bottom of your heart? XD This chapter is kinda more of an intermission than anything else, which is fitting since we're halfway through the story. Next chapter will have Kyouko FINALLY returning to Kyoto. I originally planned for this story to be three-to-five chapters long, but then the character took over and now I'm pretty much along for the ride. And now, I've got two more Skip Beat stories in the planning process, which I'm going to hold off on until this story's done. It's all Chapter 181's fault. It's eating away at my life. 'sulks'_

_Oh, and some of you might have noticed the poll I have on my profile. That was just something I did out of curiosity's sake since I noticed that my reviewers seemed equal parts Shou-supporters and Ren-supporters, with one or two Reino fangirls thrown into the mix. It won't affect the outcome of the story at all, since I have the ending carefully and meticulously planned out already, but I'm genuinely curious to see what you guys have to say on that. I'll post the summaries for the two Skip Beat stories I'm planning too, so you can tell me if one sounds more interesting to you than the other, that way I'll know which one to start first. Please leave a review to tell me what you think!_

* * *

**Thanks To;**

_Ninja Shen, Lady of the Hunt, doodi, sweetXsunshine, Zerandomness, Chelly18, bbhelen3162, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, librarycat9, angeldevil11, Iris Anthe, skepsis66, linx, leavesfallingup, Crazy Sardines, kyoko minion, Squee, Blue Fire Heart, Jhay, ameliato2004, yuskefan, piggycat350, Bloomer123, darksilvercloud, zeichnerinaga, perfect beauty, LeprechaunVomitxD, ash00, Yumia's Fountain Pen, Arcellant, SweetSarah8, Roses Dreams and Chocolate, staidwaters, Miyako826, Gryffindor for eva', Shadowhawk, Phendragon, Applesauce18, rosebudmelissa, fan girl 666, Katii0924, Une Chatte Noire, darkreverie13_


	6. Stepping Back

**WoM-** _Okay, now we're into the home stretch for this one! Once again, I'm grateful for all the support you guys are showing me and my story. I intended to have this one up sooner, but my poor baby needed a new cord first, since the old one died 'pets laptop affectionately.' At any rate, here's chapter six for your reading pleasure! Enjoy!_

* * *

**Stepping Back**

_She's really cute…_

Tsujimoto Akio knew he was staring. He'd been staring since he saw her when they both boarded the train in Tokyo, as a matter of fact. He was vaguely aware that he probably looked like a moron, but he just couldn't help himself. There was something about the girl that called to his eye.

He wasn't the only one who saw it, either. A number of guys kept casting discreet looks in her direction, and a few of the more daring men even sat next to her and tried to initiate conversation, but the girl didn't seem all that open to talking to any of them. Not that she was rude or anything, but clearly she was much more interested in the papers she was trying to read then strange men hitting on her. After the first few failed attempts, most guys took the hint and left the girl alone.

Seeing all that discouraged Akio from making a move himself- he wasn't the best looking guy around, and that second guy looked like he could've just stepped off of a magazine cover, so he didn't think he had much of a shot and didn't want to embarrass himself trying- but for the life of him, he just couldn't tear himself away from watching the girl's face as she read.

_I've never seen anybody so expressive before._ Akio thought in bemusement as he watched the blonde's face brighten at something, a giggle escaping her lips before her eyes widened with shock and a guilty expression overcame her face. It stayed for a while, until the girl's eyes flashed in defiance, the paper in her hands crumpling as her read on, looking more and more upset as she went. Akio's amusement turned into concern at watching this, then quickly changed into alarm as he watched tears pool in the girl's dark eyes, her shoulder trembling as she tried to suppress the urge to cry.

"Is there a problem?" Akio asked before he could stop himself. The girl jumped at his voice, blinking at Akio for a moment as if she had just come out of a trance. "Are you alright?"

"Eh?" The girl looked confused at the question. "Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

_Why do I-?_ Akio gaped at the woman in disbelief.

"Well… You're _crying_." He informed her hesitantly. Looking faintly surprise, the girl reached up to the corner of her eye and found the moisture that had gathered there. Alarm and embarrassment warred across her face as she hastily scrubbed to get rid of the tears.

"Oh!" She said, flushing brightly. "Oh, I didn't even realize- I'm sorry, I'm such an idiot."

"Is there a problem?" Akio asked again, waving off her embarrassed apologies.

"No, I really am fine." The girl assured him with a shy grin as she tucked the papers into her bag, all traces of sorrow gone. "I just have a bad habit of making weird faces when I read. Shin-chan teases me about it all the time. I really should know better than to read things like that in public, but I thought that since I was going to be out of Tokyo for the next few days I might as well they and get as much work done as I can while I have the chance." Akio relaxed a bit at the girl's explanation, though he was still a little confused. So then, those papers were for her job? Then what were all those weird faces for…?

"Anyways, I'm sorry, I was disturbing you…?" The girl trailed off, giving Akio a questioning look. Flushing, all thoughts of the girl's job flew right out of Akio's head as he offered her his hand to shake.

"Ah, sorry! I'm Tsujimoto Akio. I'm a law student at Tokyo U." Akio explained. For a moment, Akio thought he saw the girl freeze and stare at him with a deer-in-headlights expression, but before he could even blink there was a sweet smile on the girl's face as she accepted his hand with her own smaller one.

"Tokyo U, huh? That's incredible!" She said in awe. "You must have worked hard to get into such a prestigious school." Akio puffed up a bit at the pretty girl's praise, grinning widely as confidence began to swell in him.

"Yeah well, I've always done pretty good with my academics." He said casually. "My dad's a lawyer too, you see, so I guess smarts just run in our family."

"Oh?" The girl smiled. "So you've always wanted to be a lawyer?"

"Well… no…" Akio admitted, a little sheepishly. "When I was younger, I was kinda in this band, and I really wanted to be a musician. But things didn't work out with that, so…"

"That's too bad." Sighed the girl sadly.

"Ah, it's life, you know?" Akio shrugged, grinning down at the girl. "I mean, I'm sure you've been there too, right? You wanted something for yourself as a kid, but when you got older you grew out of it?"

…Was it just him, or did the train just get, like, fifty degrees colder?

"'Grew out of it' isn't the words that I would choose, but I guess you're right." The girl said, her tone dark. "We all have mistakes in our past."

"W-well, I wouldn't call my band a mistake. There were some good things that came out of it, but I just wanted something different for myself." Akio said weakly. Granted, pretty much all the good things that came out of it were for the cocky punk lead singer who ditched them to go solo, but that was beside the point. Other than the occasional 'what if' moment, Akio never really thought much about his old garage band with Fuwa Shou.

"Well, I guess things are working out for you, regardless." The girl amended with an honest smile. "It really is impressive that you're attending Tokyo U, after all. Congratulations, Tsujimoto-san."

_Congratulations?_ Akio thought, confusion warring with amusement. It wasn't wrong, but it was weird for a stranger to congratulate someone for getting into a good college. That was more something an old friend you hadn't seen in a while would do. Shaking his head, Akio decided that, while pretty, the blonde girl was definitely a strange one.

But at the same time, she was much easier to talk to then he originally feared.

"Thank you, um…" Akio trailed off with a questioning look, waiting for the girl to give her name. Before she could respond, though, her entire frame started shaking as if she was having a seizure. Akio jumped in alarm until the girl dug around the pocket of her jeans and produced a cell phone, her eyes widening when she took in the number. Jumping to her feet, the girl gave a polite bow, throwing Akio a contrite look.

"I'm terribly sorry, Tsujimoto-san, I have to take this." She explained hurriedly.

"That's fine, I understand." Akio assured her with a smile, mentally groaning at the lousy timing of the caller. Apologizing again, the girl gathered her purse, turned heel and scampered off to take her call in a more private area. Akio sighed as he watched her leave before hesitantly returning to his seat. Hopefully, he'd get a chance to talk to her again later. She was much friendlier then he was expecting, if a little odd. Actually, there was something faintly familiar about the way she spoke, like he'd talked to her before.

Chuckling, Akio shook his head at that thought. Impossible. No way could he ever forget a girl like that…

* * *

"Hello? Yasma-san?" Kyouko said as she closed the door behind her. "Is everything alright?"

"_Yes, yes. We are fine, Kyouko-chan."_ Yasma responded, amusement clear in her thickly accented Japanese. _"I just wanted to call and see how you were doing. It's not too late for me to call LME and get you a temporary manager, you know…"_

"It's fine, Yasma-san, really." Kyouko insisted. "After all, this is supposed to be my vacation. I don't want to trouble the company over something like this."

"_But what if you're recognized?" _Yasma pointed out.

"I don't think that'll be a problem." The actress giggled, looking over her shoulder at the door she'd just closed. "I just spent the last few minutes talking to a boy who knew me in middle school, and he didn't recognize me at all, as Mogami Kyoko or Kyouko-chan." She hadn't recognized Tsujimoto Akio either until he told her his name though, to be honest.

_He's gotten taller, and stopped bleaching his hair._ Kyouko noted, bemused. Probably because of his mother, she was the traditional sort who didn't put up with things like that. Shou complained about it constantly when he was a member of _Death March_, the band he'd formed in middle school which had consisted of himself and three other boys from their school. He, of course, was the lead singer and lead guitar, with Akio playing backup, a well-built boy named Kokubo Takumi on bass and Okuyama Shouta playing drums.

Kyouko remembered Akio with some fondness, despite the fact that she hadn't really talked to him outside of helping the boys out with their band. He was a very sensible guy, easy to talk to and always polite. Shouta was a decent fellow too, though he mostly ignored her unless she brought food for the band during practice or something, but Takumi had been really annoying, always picking on her and making things more difficult the more she tried to help.

_What a jerk…_ Kyouko thought irritably. _The only reason I put up with him was because Shou needed him in the band._ That thought had a black pool of miasma pooling around her as she recalled all the other crap she put up with for the ungrateful heartbreaker who was Fuwa Shou.

"_-rental car is waiting for you at the station." _Yasma finished saying, startling Kyouko out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry? What was that?" The girl asked, flushing as she batted away the hair of her blonde wig. Stupid, stupid stupid! She shouldn't let herself get distracted like that!

"_I just wanted to call to let you know Shin has a rental car waiting for you at the station."_ Yasma repeated, sounding amused for some reason. _"He doesn't want you taking a cab without him there to keep an eye on things, and if you even think about trying to walk or bike or accept a ride form a stranger, he swears he'll fly down there and drag you back to Tokyo by the ear, stomach flu or no stomach flu."_

"I'm not going to shatter into a million pieces without him here to keep an eye on things, you know." Kyouko giggled. "Is he feeling any better?"

"_He's stopped throwing up every five minutes, but he's still really weak and pale as a ghost so I'm keeping him on strict bed rest."_ Yasma answered with an exasperated sigh. _"He's not making it easy, though. I swear the man's jumping up every ten minutes with something else he forgot to tell you."_

"Tell Shin-chan I'll be fine and that he should get some rest." Kyouko said with a smile. "I'll be heartbroken if I lose my manager because his wife killed him for driving her crazy while he's sick."

"_I'll be sure to pass the message on_." Said manager's wife laughed. _"Be safe and have a fun trip, okay Kyouko? Call us if anything comes up."_

"I will." The actress promised readily. "Please take care of yourself, and of Shin-chan. I'll see you guys in a couple days." Smiling as Yasma said her goodbyes and ended the call, Kyouko couldn't help the warm, fuzzy feeling settling into her stomach at her manager's continued concern.

Shin was supposed to come to Kyoto with her originally, but that plan was derailed when her manager caught a nasty stomach flu that took him out of commission for the trip, leaving Kyouko to her own devices. Since the last time Kyouko had gone out in public without Shin had ended badly enough to result in a kidnapping, car chase and several restraining orders, Kyouko decided to play it safe for this trip and travel in disguise. So far, that had been working out pretty well, but the real test was still ahead, when she actually got to Kyoto.

Once there… Kyouko gulped quietly to herself as wandered further down the train, heading towards the dining car, trying to force that thought back down as she dug through her bag to pull out a small coin purse with a familiar and beloved stone.

_It's okay… _Kyouko thought, nervously playing with Corn. _I can do this. I'll be alright…_

With any luck, she might believe that by the time she got to Kyoto.

…Maybe.

* * *

Kyouko managed to last another hour and a half before she was reduced to a whimpering mass of nerves and depression with her forehead pressed against the steering wheel of her rental car.

_I can't do this…! _The actress thought with a moan. _Why did I ever agree to this in the first place? I was doing just fine! I don't need to be here! I should get right back on the train and head home to Tokyo and forget all about this nonsense. I'm sure Shin-chan could reschedule my work if I hurry…_

_Coward!_ Inner Bo's voice scoffed in the back of her mind. _Is this really the girl who fought tooth and nail to get into the entertainment industry? What would your sempai say if he could see you now? And Moko-san! You're supposed to be her rival, right? How can you manage that if you can't learn to overcome something like this, huh? _

Kyouko groaned at that. She knew the chicken was right, and going back would be admitting defeat, but she just couldn't get her nerves under control.

She'd been fine on the train. After a meal on the dining car, she'd gone back to her car and talked a little more with Akio until the train pulled in at the station. He had asked if he could take her out to dinner sometime during her visit, but Kyouko rejected the offer claiming that she was in Kyoto for important personal reasons. Akio had been dejected, but didn't press the matter, much to Kyouko's relief. They had parted ways at the train station after Akio had given her his phone number in case she changed her mind, and Kyouko had gotten into her rental car and drove off.

That was where the problem started.

Kyouko hadn't realized how intensely the memories would hit her until she was right there seeing things for herself. She swore to herself that she was strong enough to overcome her bad memories and focus on the good things from her past, but it was far harder then she realized. One my one, places passed by, and each one chipped away at Kyouko's courage a little at a time. The park where she used to play with Shou… The street where Kohana had thrown her homework into a muddy puddle, making it impossible to turn in… The coffee shop where she had waited for her mother until she fell asleep on one of the uncomfortable iron chairs and the concerned owner called the police, who brought her into their headquarters until they managed to track down her mother to pick her up…

And the closer she got to her destination, the more intense the memories became. Which was what led to her current position; sitting in the parking lot of the corner store having a mental breakdown and being chewed out by the chicken mascot she used to play on Bridge Rock.

_I really am a coward…_ Kyouko thought miserably as she leaned back into her seat with a sigh. She knew her friends wouldn't think any less of her if she turned tail and ran, since everyone except the president and Shin had thought that her return to Kyoto was a bad idea, but that wasn't important. What was important was that _she_ would think less of herself for it, and the what-ifs would always haunt her until her dying day. She _had_ to do this. Somehow.

As Kyouko tried in vain to gather her courage, the doors to the convenience store opened and a pair stepped out into the parking lot, drawing the actresses gaze and making her eyes widen in surprise at the coincidence.

That's…!

Before she even realized what she was doing, Kyouko had the car's window open, allowing her to catch the tail end of their conversation.

"-can't believe you left your wallet at home. What kind of big sister are you, anyways?"

"Oh shut up, Naoki! Like you don't forget things like that, too!"

"Watanabi-san?" Kyouko ventured, making the female half of the duo turn, then freeze dead at the sight of the actress, her face going white as a sheet. Oblivious to the girl's strange reaction, Kyouko grinned widely. "Ah, I thought it was you! What a coincidence!"

"M-Mogami-san?" Fumiko croaked out faintly. "You… you're actually here?"

"Yep!" Kyouko beamed. "I just got off the train, actually." Turning her attention to the baffled boy with her former classmate, Kyouko gave a warm smile. "Watanabi-san, is this you're little brother? You were right, he really has grown up a lot since the last time I saw him!" Kyouko giggled slightly as the boy only looked more confused at that statement, turning to grin at Fumiko. The smile slipped away though, when she finally noticed how pale the brunette had turned. "Watanabi-san? Is something wrong?"

"Ah! No! Nothing!" Fumiko assured the actress hastily. "I'm just surprised is all… I know you said you'd come tomorrow, but I was almost sure that you would change your mind…"

"Oh…" Kyouko replied, flinching slightly. Was it really that easy to pick up on her uneasiness? So much for being a convincing actress… "Well, I said I would come, didn't I? I try to honor any agreements that I make, if I can help it. After all, you came all the way to Tokyo to invite me…"

"…Wait, Nee-chan went to Tokyo to see you? What are you talking-?" The rest of Naoki's question was cut off with a cry of pain when Fumiko stomped hard on her brother's foot. Jumping away from the older girl before she could inflict any more pain, Naoki scowled darkly at her. "What was that for?"

"You're being rude, Naoki!" Fumiko hissed, heart hammering in her chest. Her brother couldn't let it slip that she had gone to Tokyo to see Shou! "A-anyways, Mogami-san, yes, this is Naoki. He's a big fan of your show, actually…" Naoki looked baffled at his sister's words for a moment, turning back to the redhead Fumiko was talking to in order to study her more intently. After a few moments of silent scrutiny, realization chased across the teen's face and the boy went deathly still.

"You… you're Kyouko-chan!" Naoki realized, pointing at the actress with a gaping mouth. Fumiko flinched and Kyouko shank back into her car a bit, looking around nervously at the bystanders who were watching curiously after Naoki's outburst.

"Naoki!" Fumiko practically growled out, but the teen paid her no heed, practically leaping to greet the actress with a star-struck look of his face.

"I can't _believe_ you're here! I love Dragon Eye, I watch it all the time! And I've seen Forgotten, like, a million times! And… and _Natsu_!" Fumiko blushed, horrified at her brother's behavior. God, she hadn't been that bad in Tokyo, had she? Kyouko, though, seemed to take it all in stride, smiling graciously at Naoki.

"Thank you, Naoki-kun!" she said brightly, "It's always great to meet the fans who have supported me throughout my career."

"Mogami-san, are you heading to your hotel?" Fumiko asked when he brother became thoroughly tongue-tied by the actress's smile. Her stomach twisted slightly at the thought. Kyouko was a big name actress, so she was most likely staying at the Grand Kyoto Hotel, where their reunion was being held.

The hotel that Fuwa Shou was checking into in five hours.

"Um, yeah in a little bit." Kyouko said vaguely. "Are you two doing some shopping or something?"

"Yes, actually." Fumiko said awkwardly, shuffling from one foot to the other. "We were picking up a few things for dinner tonight. We should actually probably start walking home now..."

"I can drive you, if you'd like." Kyouko offered generously. Before Fumiko could refuse, Naoki made a strange sound that resembled a dolphin's squeak, startling the girls into silence.

"SHOTGUN!" Naoki claimed, practically teleporting to the passenger side door.

"Naoki!" Fumiko bristled, glowering at her young brother.

"Oh come on, nee-chan!" Naoki scoffed, undaunted at his sister's glare. Smirking, the teen added. "I mean, it's only fair, right? You went all the way to Tokyo to see Kyouko-chan while I stayed here, _right_?" Fumiko froze at the boy's words.

_That… that sneaky brat!_ Fumiko thought, furious. Naoki's words seemed innocent enough on the outside, but she recognized them for what they really were; a threat. If she didn't let her brother ride home with the actress, he'd spill the beans about why she really went to Tokyo.

Not for the first time, Fumiko wondered why younger siblings weren't illegal.

"…Fine." Fumiko consented grudgingly, sliding into the backseat. "Thank you for your kindness, Mogami-san."

"It's no problem." Kyouko said with a smile and a vague feeling that she'd missed something as she started the car after Fumiko buckled in. "I wanted to bring you the outfits Le'Moire-san made for you, anyways."

"She was serious about that?" Fumiko squawked, alarmed. She didn't think that the famous designer would actually go through with her promise to provide a simple girl like her with a new wardrobe.

"Of course." Kyouko laughed, her smile widening. Le'Moire-san is a very headstrong person. It's… difficult to say no to her."

"Noticed that." Fumiko muttered under her breath, forcing Kyouko to bite back a giggle.

"_But_ she's also one of the nicest people I know, and she takes her word very seriously. She would never break her promise or lie to someone."

The word 'lie' had Fumiko feeling as if she's just been punched in the gut, her deal with Fuwa Shou lingering in the back of her mind like a bad odor. Swallowing thickly, Fumiko found herself unable to respond to the actress. Thankfully, her brother suffered no such problem.

"So Kyouko-chan, how long will you be here in Kyoto?" He asked eagerly. "I can give you a tour if you want, y'know!"

"Thank you for the offer, but I think I'll be alright." Kyouko laughed. "And anyways, I'll be leaving to return to Tokyo in two days. There's still a lot of work I need to finish, and poor Shin-chan is sick now, so-"

"Igami-san is sick?" Fumiko broke in, visibly alarmed. "But then… who will protect you?"

"I _have_ looked after myself on occasions, you know." Kyouko grumbled, a blush rising to her cheeks against her will. Gods, why did everyone assume that an international incident would happen anytime she was left alone for a few hours…?

"Oh, I didn't mean that you can't, Mogami-san!" Fumiko assured her quickly. "It's just well… the other girls from our class…"

"How will that be any different from middle school, Watanabi-san?" Kyouko asked, her tone flat and unfeeling. "I didn't have anyone protecting me back then, either."

Fumiko winced at that, feeling as though she'd been slapped.

"Oh! Turn right up here, then take another right at the next fork." Naoki said to Kyouko, giving his sister a confused frown as the actress did as he asked. So… Kyouko-chan and his sis knew each other when they were kids? Why was this the first time he'd heard of this? He was going to have to pull the whole story out of his sister once they got home…

"Oh, by the way, Naoki-kun." Kyouko said, grinning at the teen. "Your sister says that you want to be a writer someday…"

…If he didn't kill her first.

"Uh, yeah. Someday." Naoki flustered, feeling like an idiot. He half expected his sister to start reciting the stupid play he wrote in the second year of middle school then to embarrass him, but thankfully Fumiko stayed silent. "I'm not very good right now, though. But who knows! Maybe one day you'll be starring in a movie based on one of my books!"

"I'll look forward to that, Naoki-kun!" Kyouko encouraged him with a bright smile, unintentionally tongue-tying the teen.

"Oh! Mogami-san, this is our home right here!" Fumiko broke in quickly when she saw Kyouko had nearly passed their house. Braking fast, Kyouko pulled off to the side of the road to let the Watanabi siblings out.

"Um, before you go…" Naoki hesitated, red-faced. "Can I… Can I get your autograph? I really am a big fan, and I got some stuff…"

"Of course, Naoki-kun!" Kyouko consented with a grin, making the boy take off like a shot to his house to collect anything he thought Kyouko's signature could fit on. Once he was gone, Fumiko watched the actress anxiously as she dug through the trunk of her car for Le'Moire's gift to Fumiko.

"Mogami-san… about how my friends and I treated you in middle school…"

"Watanabi-san, it's fine." Kyouko cut off her apology with the wave of a hand. "You already apologized to me for that, you don't need to do it again."

"I just can't believe you'd want to come back here again after all that…" Fumiko murmured quietly, making Kyouko pause.

"Well…" Kyouko admitted with heaviness in her eyes. "It's been much harder than I thought it would be…" Fumiko felt her hope flicker back to life in that instant.

"If you don't want to stay, I'll understand, Mogami-san!" Fumiko assured Kyouko hastily. "Really, you don't have to force yourself to come to the reunion! It's okay!"

"No." Kyouko said firmly, giving Fumiko a hard look. "I have to stay. I can't let this beat me. I mean, what if I have to shoot on location here someday? I'm not about to let a few bad memories cause problems for my co-workers. Besides… there's a regret that I haven't been able to let go of and… and I don't want to live with it any longer."

"Mogami-san…" Fumiko said quietly, blown away by the actress's strength. Standing up to other people… standing up to yourself… Fumiko had never done anything of the sort. She didn't have the guts to tell Kohana off for the way she treated people, or to look herself in the mirror and actually do something about all the terrible things that stared back at her.

And yet this girl, this friendless, bullied phantom from her past, was now someone so much more then she could ever hope to be.

"Oh! Here we- _Watanabi-san?_" Kyouko said, dropping the box she intended to give Fumiko in alarm when she turned and found the brunette herself in tears. "Watanabi-san, what's wrong?"

Wailing loudly, Fumiko surged forward to envelope the surprised Kyouko in a hug, making the actress stiffen at the contact at first until she forced herself to relax and try and soothe her former bully's tears enough to find out the cause. This was how Naoki found the two of them five minutes later and, at Kyouko's helpless, pleading look, he ushered the two girls into the privacy of the Watanabi house.

Once inside, Fumiko did what she'd been dying to do since staying with Kyouko in Tokyo. When her tears subsided enough to let her talk, Watanabi Fumiko confessed.

And less than five minutes later, a new battle began.

* * *

**WoM-** _DunDunDUUUUUUN! 'giggles' sorry. Got kinda stuck writing this chapter for a bit, but I'm pretty happy with it, overall. I'm pleasantly surprised with how much Fumiko's character has grown on you people, considering all the bad traits she has. She doesn't even like herself all that much, so it's awesome you guys are so fond of her. Sorry for writing Shin-chan out here, but I wanted Kyouko to face all this alone. No manager to use as a meat shield, no love-struck sempai to coddle her since he doesn't want her to feel even the tiniest hint of pain, no overprotective friends to tears apart anyone who even looks at Kyouko funny… Just Kyouko staring down the demons of her past without anything to distract or protect her. Kyouko knows how amazing her friends are, now it's time for her to see that she's pretty cool herself._

_Anywho~ reviews help me feed my plunnies and keep the story going, so gimme some why don'tcha?_

_…Pretty please?_

**Thanks To-**

_Lady of the Hunt, piggycat350, bbhelen3162, Crazy Sardines, darkreverie13, Reight, lechat23, suppusan, TsukiHime, Yumia's Fountain Pen, novvy, hentai18ancilla, Ebzenka, theYellowDello, sweetXsunshine, snow white, perfect beauty, zeichnerinaga, Shadowhawk, leavesfallingup, Rutoh-Chan, Ninja Shen, fan girl 666, Jhay, LeprechaunVomitxD, lin Kim, Iris Anthe, SweetSarah8, ash00, Squee, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, librarycat9, staidwaters, kyoko minion, Emanuel Black, FreedomsCage, littlesnipper_


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